Becoming Teacher Leaders

This week is my 39th birthday and, like most people approaching a milestone birthday, I've started making a list of what I'd like to accomplish before the big 4-0. First on my to-do list: Read 40 books by my 40th birthday.

Is It Possible?

When I told my husband that, he said, "Altogether? Like in a year?" It's ambitious for me and, apparently, for most Americans. A recent survey reported 12 books to be the average, but about a fourth of American adults hadn't even read one book in the last 12 months. Yikes! I've never officially counted how many books I've read in one year before, but I do try to keep track here.

In my family, I am known as a reader, the bookworm. As much as I love reading, I can't say that I am always reading something. My tendency is to read in binges, often reading a whole series in succession--the year of Harry Potter and Hunger Games weekend come to mind.

Parenthood has dramatically changed my reading habits in recent times. Since my daughter was born, I've noticed I'm a more prolific reader when I'm forced to sit and be still with all other entertainment options removed. I read bunches while nursing my child and during that phase where I had to sit in her room until she fell asleep every night. eReaders are a lifesaver in those situations. But now sustained attention to any task with a three-year-old around is a challenge. Vacations filled with books on the beach are distant memories, too.

Knowing that I'm unlikely to invent more time to read, I realized that there would have to some behavior changes on my part if I'm really going to digest roughly one book a week until next December. Austin Kleon's recent newsletter mentioned year-end lists and linked to his post on how he read over 70 books in 2014. I was inspired! Based on his seven tips and a few of my own ground rules, I've come up with a plan. Here goes...

How I'm Doing 40 by 40 in 10 Easy Steps

1. Runs from December 2015 to December 2016.
2. Books can be counted as long as they are finished by my birthday 2016 regardless of start date.
3. Professional books (nonfiction) and personal books (fiction and nonfiction) count.
4. Children's books do not count, unless they are chapter length.
5. Format is irrelevant - eBooks, audiobooks, traditionally bound are all fair game.
6. Books before Facebook. Limit social media and read a book instead.
7. Go to bed earlier and read. See also #6.
8. Travel with books. Always. See also #6.
9. Talk about books and ideas more and less about people. See also #6.
10. Remember this is not a chore. You actually like reading. A lot. It's like being forced to eat ice cream and wear soft pants every day. Enjoy it, dadgummit!

Ready, Set, Go!

I've already picked out a few books to get started with and set my iPhone lock screen to Austin Kleon's "Read a Book Instead". I imagine I'll hit a wall somewhere along the way, so give me some encouragement and maybe a book recommendation or two along the way. What book would get you out of a reading slump? Tell me on Twitter with #40_by_40:

Tweet: Hey Amber, read this: INSERT TITLE HERE #40_by_40

I'll keep you posted on the progress. Happy reading!

A big portion of my job relates to teacher evaluation--not a topic that incites joy when I mention it--especially to teachers. Some might think teacher evaluation is about a checklist of things teachers ought to be doing in the classroom. And to be fair, it wasn't all that long ago that evaluation really WAS a checklist. But evaluation should be more than a list of dos and don'ts for it to be valid and meaningful.

What I often hear from teachers is that typical evaluations can't measure the real impact a teacher has on a student, and I definitely understand that perspective. The Jubilee Project made this inspiring video called a World Without Teachers that touches on that intangible impact teachers have on students--the things you might not see until many years after a student has left a teacher's classroom. As one woman in the video states, "I feel like teachers are — besides our parents — the first people we meet who shape who we become."

There are a lot of ways to see how effective teachers are at their jobs and I think teachers deserve to regular feedback to inform their growth and development. But beyond that, I hope someone thinks of you the way these video participants think of some of their former teachers. It would be tough to be that teacher for every student, but I hope you can be for at least one. Now, go grab a tissue and hit play.

As a teacher, my calendar always operated a little differently than most grown-ups. My internal calendar ran August to the first week of June. The rest of June and July existed outside of the constructs of time. Ask a teacher what day of the week it is during the summer and she probably can't tell you! I have a friend who calls herself Summer-Kelly during those precious weeks between school years. Summer-Kelly is her alter ego who gets to stay up late and eat lunch with adults in restaurants.

Before someone gets all "must be nice to have summers off" snarky, let me clarify that not attending school each day doesn't mean we aren't doing loads of school-related things--planning, reading, taking classes, cutting out mountains of laminating for next year. But when you get to do that in soft pants or while binge-watching Netflix, you might forget that you 're doing it for zero summer pay.

So when I moved from a school to the district office, my summer alter-ego pretty much disappeared. This is a year-round gig, so I have to save Summer-Amber for Fridays and weekends like the rest of the grown-up world. That also meant that my internal calendar had to add June and July back into the mix. I'm still living a hyphenated year (Hello 2015-2016!), but my new year starts in June now instead of August.

Of course, ringing in the new year wouldn't be complete without New Year's Resolutions, right? For me, I realized that I wanted a better way to track my work flow. In a classroom, lesson plans are a pretty efficient way to track what's happening during the day. Even in the classroom, I used sticky notes and lists to keep track of my things to do, but that system wasn't nearly as effective in my new role. Thanks to Pinterest, I found Bullet Journal.

I've officially been at it for one whole day now--a record for keeping a New Year's Resolution in my book! Really, I am posting about my attempt at Bullet Journal-style organization as a way to keep me working at it. I think it's actually a pretty good system for me because it's totally flexible and doesn't require special tools or anything that stands as a barrier to getting started. My plan is to post my progress every so often to see how it's working for me.

I think for most teacher leaders, keeping up with the stuff that's not teaching kiddos is the hardest to manage. If that rings true for you, maybe Bullet Journal is good for you. What have you tried -successfully or not- to manage your time?

I started a meeting with a group of teachers by telling them about my day spent observing induction teachers. They all chuckled and had the "bless our heart" face at the thought of beginning teachers handling their classrooms in the few days before Spring Break. I'm sure the laughter was well-intended, remembering their own early years of teaching, and the chaos that is often recalled from those days.

I told this group of veterans that what I saw was actually quite an inspiration to me. In fact, one of the things I love most about my job is working with new teachers to the profession. In most cases, beginning teachers come into the profession ready to take on the world, be amazing at everything, and rock the classroom. Folks tend to either resent this unbridled enthusiasm with rolled eyes and "you'll learn" comments or they feed off it by recharging their own batteries. Knowing that I love working with new teachers, it's not hard to guess where I fit.

One of my favorite children's books, Verdi by Janell Cannon, tells the story of that reminds me of what beginning teachers go through during the early years in their careers. The green grumblers, the old snakes in the book, tell young and vibrant Verdi that he may be wild and crazy now, but it won't stay like that. Someday, they say, he'll learn his lesson and be as curmudgeonly as them. Verdi desperately tries to avoid becoming a green grumbler until he ultimately finds himself broken and as grumpy as he once feared. That is, until he meets the next generation of young, rambunctious snakes, that help him find his joy once again.

There are grumblers in every building that can infect new teachers with negative attitudes. Jennifer Gonzalez at Cult of Pedagogy calls them walnut trees. In looking at data regarding new teachers' attitudes, it's easy to see how the disillusionment phase makes a beginning teacher susceptible to grumblers. New teachers tell me they thought about quitting over Christmas or starting job searching to do something--anything-- else.

But things typically turn around after winter break. Maybe it's the combination of extra sleep, a change of scenery and festivities that gets them back, but they return a little more optimistic then they left.

As Spring Break approaches, I can see the change in the weather and the climb back up toward anticipation.

"I can do this," one induction teacher told me recently, which I know is a sign of good things to come.

As teacher leaders, it's important for us to be the marigolds that support beginning teachers as they navigate the challenges of the first few years--the hardest most teachers face in their careers. If we aren't careful, the grumblers -- the walnut trees-- will prevail and an eager new teacher will find himself stuck in the valley of disillusionment.

Our profession, and more importantly, our students deserve better than that.

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40 by 40

Is It Possible?

How I'm Doing 40 by 40 in 10 Easy Steps

Ready, Set, Go!

A World Without Teachers

Happy New Year!

Spring's Rejuvenation

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