What a day!!!!

Well there are lots of first... first day as a teacher...first day as a S.A.M....first day as an assistant principal. To me today was bigger than each one of the last three in a different way. I witnessed a student meeting success in all areas that many thought would never happen. I give credit to the parents, the student, the teachers, and the educational environment that the student was in. Teamwork is what is needed in successful education and what I witnessed. Thankyou!!!

Sunday Night...

Well another Sunday night... and tomorrow who knows what kind of Monday it will be. I have found that being a principal means that Monday is never, ever routine. So I have checked my e-mail, plugged my phone in, packed my bags, arranged with the kids who is going where, checked my calendar for appointments, put my clothes out, and wondered what I have forgotten. How is this different from being in the classroom? As assistant principal not only do I worry about what i might of forgotten but also have to deal with what other staff members have forgotten. I always hope for the best of scenarios but plan for the worst. I think I am learning with every Monday that goes by.

Car seats and education...

I had the joy of watching my twin granddaughters for the weekend. They are 13 months old and so interesting and beautiful!!! The first chore was to get the car seats into the back of my car. That entailed putting the bases into the hooks behind the seats, leveling the seats using the bubble on the seat base, moving the front seats forward, locking the seats in place, using my knee to pull the strap so tight there was no movement, and then using a three point harness to secure the girls in. Blah, Blah, Blah... Well it took me 15 minutes and when I was done I was a little aggravated. REALLY were we blasting off to the moon? Was all that really necessary? The answer to their parents, of course!!! The answer for me, of course !!!

Now what does this have to do with education.

Often times when I was teaching , teachers, administrators, community members, and others said why are the schools doing all the things for children these days. Breakfast should not be served that is the parents job, kids should sit and be quiet, what is the problem with continual recall and memorization. Why do the kids these days need the new playground equipment, computers, and IEP's. We did fine with none of those things. Education does not need all the new updates.

I will admit when I used to buckle my ten year old in to his car seat it was easier. But I was glad he had a car seat and was not held on my lap like my Mom did for me. All the new updates in education are what I want for my kids and for my grandchildren. I will always be happy to learn of new ways to educate children because it REALLY is IMPORTANT! BECAUSE EVERY STUDENT IS SOME ONE'S CHILD IN A CAR SEAT....

Being a Principal can be lonely...

I have been told by more than one administrator that being a principal can be lonely. (Maybe a little like blogging alone Ha, Ha). Well I will say that in one of the schools I have great friendships; made through years in the district, and in the newer school district I hope to create great friendships. I will admit that is not what the advice from administrators was about. The loneliness is the decisions that have to be made, the confidential situations that can't be shared, and the countless hours working late, early, and at home. Now I will admit there is a level of that loneliness that teachers also experience but not like administration. The numbers tell the story. So what to do about it. I was reading a blog I have been following and it suggested getting administrators together to experience weekend or even week long excursions. I really liked the idea. It was all about getting rid of stress and trying new things that did not evolve around administration but were learning experiences in themselves. An example was 'white water rafting'. The problem I have with idea is that being a woman administrator it is more difficult to find groups to get together. I will say that I am going to try to figure it out. Some ideas I would like to try.... 1. Motor cycle ride across the state of Iowa. 2. Canoe down the Mississippi river. 3. Tandem parachuting. Just three ideas. Any other great ideas please leave a comment.