Good Things...

No doubt, the experience of a global pandemic has been challenging for so many people, in unimaginable ways.  While by no means have I been impacted to the degree so many we learn about every day in the news, this experience has removed certain distractions, clearing the way for deeper reflection and time to consider what really matters, as well as what we may have taken for granted up to this point. Each day, I find myself noticing these things. Sometimes I feel guilty for not seeing them before, and often, I am grateful for having a second chance to reflect and appreciate things differently.

By comparison in my life, one element absent from my daily routine since mid-March is my daily drive to and from work. Fortunately, I've been able to fill that time with productive and meaningful things, despite a closure that prevents me from leading a school full of students, staff, and middle school life. Only now, since I've resumed a modified schedule, as the world looks to reopen, have I realized the important space my commute occupies in my life, particularly as a learner.

This particular drive has been a part of my life for two and a half decades. And in all that time, I'd rarely given it too much thought. It was a 45 minute drive, to and from work, that I "had to do". We all get 168 hours a week. Roughly eight of those hours for me was spent in the car. In recent times, I'd come to see this as  my spending the equivalent of what is (on a good day), a standard work day, with my eyes on the road and my hands on the steering wheel.

Eight hours is significant. Think about what we can do in that amount of time. Get a recommended night's sleep. Read one or more books, or write a daily journal or blog entry. Exercise or meditate daily. Share regular meals or conversations with our loved ones. I have previously written on this topic in my #OneWord2019 post, Pause. In fact, one of my favorite aspects of his post is that it involves my daughter, driving the same route as my commute, with me seated in the passenger seat. (Another blog for another time.)

I've gained so much perspective and time to reflect on why I am grateful for being fortunate, lucky, and blessed in life. However. one down-side that's presented itself on a regular basis since mid-March has been coming to re-imagine how I'd make up my "learning time". I'd accepted long ago that if I was going to be driving, I could also be learning.

Prioritized meaningful professional learning has long been something I "get to do". Whether it's being an active member of several professional learning communities, listening to audio books and podcasts, or having a phone conversation with a friend, colleague, or mentor, my eight hours on the road would be for learning, I "have to" drive to and from work. I "get to" learn.

One podcast worth your time is called The Science of Happiness. Now, admittedly, I am someone who enjoys learning about self-improvement techniques, to improve myself for others, and share with others, I know this may not be for everyone. Reading and listening to this content always seems to help me to reflect more deeply, understand and empathize with the human condition, and, equip me to help others. 

More than usual these days, I find myself contemplating the words of Dacher Keltner, Ph.D., who poses the following thought to open the podcast:

"Imagine your body had a happiness button, with a direct line to your brain. And every time you pressed it, you felt a jolt of joy, satisfaction, and contentment. You could get happy in an instant, whenever you want. Would you use it? Would you press the button?"

While there is no "happiness button", one small way that we can offer ourselves some "space for grace" during a pandemic is to "just write". One topic on which to focus is identifying "good things" that are happening, despite challenging circumstances. This episode of The Science of Happiness podcast will help frame your thinking, if you wanted to get started today.

In the coming days and weeks, I am going to share some examples from my life. Keeping a journal or blogging are by no means a substitute for the services that a licensed mental health professional can offer. However, three good things can help bring some positive focus to the simple joys in our lives.

Here are just some of the "good things" in my life:

• Daily exercise

Since January, I've re-engaged in daily exercise. Then back in February, there was an article being shared at school by a number of male staff members regarding male heart health. This got me thinking about how, just last year I competed with students in a "push-up contest" in the common area we shared in a 40 person cabin on an overnight class trip. I had said I would do double the number of push-ups that the student who could do the most in the cabin. Well, as you might imagine, when one 13 year old did 30 (and I had to do 60), I had my work cut out for me. Surrounded by a pack of cheering adolescent males, I pulled off 43. While there was no one more impressed with my feat that I (after all, I did the number of push-ups equal to my age at the time), nonetheless, I had lost to a kid. Reading this article, resuming a regular fitness regimen, and having the time to reflect on this fond, fun memory has only really been possible because I'm distracted less or perhaps, differently. (Oh, and by the way, I can and do my 40 push-ups, as part of my daily workout.)

• Hydration

For the first time in my life, I'm hydrating properly. Drinking half my body weight's worth of water, in ounces has long been a goal of mine, and now, as of January, I'm doing it. At the risk of making a completely unscientific statement here, educators don't drink enough water. It has everything to do with fearing the need to use the restroom within a 41-minute block of time (or worse even, if you teach a lab science, a dreaded 84 minutes, sans the luxury of two minutes of passing time)! As a school leader, a teaching period is no excuse for my lack of hydration. In fact, this has been a goal since I attended my first Edcamp Long Island session, where the facilitator addressed a packed room on The Checklist Manifesto by Dr. Atul Gawande and how "drink more water" was among the items on his daily checklist. Now, I can't for the life of me figure out why that memory stands out, to this day. But, as a result, years later, I am drinking more water.

• Family Dinners

The Schug Family has always sat down together for nightly family dinners. Having two working professionals and three busy, growing children, at middle school, high school, and college age, we've somehow managed through the years to eat together, almost every night, in fact. And in this age of having to focus on "Device Free Dinners", now it seems, more than ever, it's been nice seeing one another's faces, asking "What was the best part of your day?", and listening, even through the lively commotion of simultaneous, unrelated conversations that occur between us. While this routine (and device-free) has been a long-standing tradition in our home, I have a renewed appreciation for what I can learn, by listening.

Daily exercise, hydration, and family dinners. Not necessarily topics I'd ever imagine writing a blog post about, but they've turned out to be three good things.

What are three good things happening in your life right now?

Watch the Horizon

"Find it, set your eyes on it, and watch the horizon."

This message was delivered to me in a most unexpected way, and from a most unexpected source. These words have remained with me, as leadership and learning wisdom, especially through uncertain times.

The first time I heard these words, I was likely somewhere between falling off, getting back on, or (least likely) standing upright on a paddle board. We were in the Pacific Ocean. 

Paddle boarding, enjoyed by many, has long been an activity I've strategically avoided. As relaxing as most people find it, I have found quite the opposite, as it's brought the worst of my anxiousness and fear (and the exhausting efforts to manage these feelings) out. 

And now, I'm doing it in the Pacific Ocean...and not well, I might add.

But this was vacation, a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of love, of family, of togetherness. I was with the four people who matter most in my life. Also accompanying us was a California surfer, originally from Idaho, now living in Maui. This guy maneuvered a paddle board better than I can walk. And he would become one of the best teachers I've met, the right person at the right time.  

The guide had sensed my apprehension almost immediately. And while I had just wished to be left alone, to fall off my paddle board seven times and get up eight, this guy would not let me be, to mutter and wallow in my own self-pity. He'd decided, I was going to be a paddle boarder, whether I liked it or not. He had seen this before, knowing, this had little to do with a paddle board. 

So as the four others glided effortlessly and playfully on their boards, this guide remained patiently by my side or within my line of sight. He saw something in me that he knew I hadn't...yet. He saw that I was drowning in my own negative thoughts and self-talk. He was committed to do what he had likely done for dozens of people before me - not giving up, continuously encouraging, and remaining by my side. He refused to let me quit on myself, no matter what.

He could sense that I was at times, reluctantly reassured by his approach. Seeing me get back up one more time than I had fallen down, he challenged me to find the horizon, telling me this would help to stabilize by shaking lower half, that was causing my imbalance that inevitably ended in a splash. 

"Find the horizon, set your eyes on it, and watch."

I will never forget the feeling that led up to my first successfully paddle board. The moment my eyes found the horizon. The rhythmic breathing, in through my nose, out through my mouth, "following my breath", a helpful skill I developed through running and meditation (neither of which was done on a paddle board). I  The voice in my head, telling me the whole way to watch the horizon. As these words replaced those that were in my head before, the shaking of every muscle left my body, replaced by my new mantra, as I set my eyes steadily on the horizon. 

I was paddle boarding. And I had an unexpected teacher with unexpected words of wisdom, to thank for it.

That day, no exaggeration, I likely fell off my paddle board no fewer than 100 times. But I got up 101 times. And I had a tool to use, moving forward, now with others who, like me, would prefer to be left alone so they could give up. My wife and kids, despite the playful ribbing associated with the repeated predictable splashes coming from my direction, told me that they noticed that I never gave up. I told them that I never stopped finding an setting my eyes on the horizon.

I have long been convinced that we are surrounded by opportunities, and by people willing to help. All it takes is an awareness of these opportunities, an open mind and heart, and a willingness to be vulnerable, to fail, and to grow. In turn, this has served to remind me to be that person for others.

In times of uncertainty, we can sometimes feel as though we are alone, paddling, in the middle of the ocean. Struggling to stay afloat, struggling to see the horizon. But we can also remind ourselves of countless opportunities to progress, and the willing guides who accompany us on these journeys, those who remind us to look for the horizon.

How do you build belonging in your school and your school community?

This post is a collaboration between a group of middle school leaders from across the country. Periodically, these passionate and dedicated middle school principals share their thoughts on issues of relevance for those "in the middle". 

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Dennis Schug, Middle School Principal, Long Island, NY

EVERY ACTION presents opportunities for us to demonstrate our values. Where I stand and where I visit throughout my day. How I interact with students, staff, and visitors. Announcements on the PA system. Scheduling my priorities (versus prioritizing my schedule). It all matters.

But what's most important to me is simple. It's to foster a sense of belonging for each student, promoting regular opportunities for each to be known, and to feel that they are known by a caring adult in our school community. I am proud to lead this work, but I am not alone. In fact, I can still hear my grandmother's voice saying, "Many hands make light work."  

As I reflect on this week, three examples come to mind. This week I: 

1. Established a routine to check in and check out daily...with a kid who needs positive reinforcement.

2. Participated in a meeting...run entirely by students.

3. Worked with a student in need, identified and removed his obstacles, and watched him shine.

No doubt, I beam with pride over ongoing school-wide initiatives such as Start with Hello Week, Unity Day, and the Kindness Challenge (to name a few!) and the positive impact these have on school culture. But it's these small moments that make a big difference.

Like those most challenging puzzle pieces (the ones that are tough to find or figure out how they fit), when we discover their place in the puzzle, we realize how magnificent it feels when they all have their place.

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Donald Gately.  Middle School Principal, Long Island, NY

The feeling of belonging is arguably one of the most critical variables in the success of a young adolescent at school. Think about the places where you feel most safe, belong. Ideally, we feel that we belong when we’re with our family, our closest happy, willing to take risks. These are all places where you feel that you friends, our partners.  The climate at the ideal Middle School should

resemble these settings. 

A practice that interferes with this sense of belonging is suspension. Suspension is a “time honored” practice that schools utilize in cases of severe violations of the school for a period of days or sit in what’s called “In-School Suspension” a code of conduct.  Typically, a child is required to remain home from room sat school where they complete assignments provided by their peers and from most of the adults in the school. If we agree that a sense of teachers.  In both instances, the child is separated from the rest of his belonging is crucial for middle school kids’ success, it is difficult to we need to teach right from wrong, consequences are fine,  but can we find consequences that have the effect justify this practice.  When children misbehave, even in ways that are significant, this is the time we need to embrace them, not isolate them. Yes, of increasing this sense of belonging rather than corrupting it? 

Many schools, including ours, are employing restorative justice approaches to school discipline. In a typical example, which actually occurred at my school suspending them out of school, the students participated in a restorative recently, three students were found to have vandalized a bathroom. Instead of circle along with their parents, some teachers, classmates, and, most and our awesome assistant principal stayed after school with them one day to importantly, members of the custodial staff. They also wrote letters of apology make cookies for the custodial staff. This was so much more powerful and effective than any suspension could have been.  I am extremely excited  about the potential of restorative justice approaches to school discipline.  

Chris Legleiter. Middle School Principal.  Leawood, Kansas

The key to a successful school  year is the quality of relationships within the school and the school community. Great leaders recognize they must continually work on building great culture where everyone in school the school. feels like they belong and the school community feels connected and supports

The question is how is this achieved? While there are many components that lead to everyone feeling like “this is my home”, the one key aspect that is incorporated with these components is how the leaders must model the desired behaviors. Let’s take a look at how this is achieved:

- Leaders understand the importance of leading with positivity.

- Leaders are vulnerable with staff and students by sharing personal examples that connect through emotion and stories. This helps drive continual growth through trusting relationships.

- Leaders lead with grace and kindness as they are the first to congratulate the hard work of others and also the first to apologize when something does not go according to plan. 

- Leaders find ways to get student voice within the school by having regular “feedback loops” with students to listen to their ideas.

- Leaders implement methods to support whole child initiatives by recognizing students for great character, support inclusivity and daily SEL work.

- Leaders have consistent opportunities to share with parents the work of the school so they are informed.

Leaders understand how they treat others and develop an inclusive school community is the foundation of their work. This takes intentional efforts through modeling the desired behaviors and leading with vulnerability.

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Brenda Vatthauer, Middle School Principal, Hutchinson, MN

Middle school adolescent perception is real, well in their mind it is real.  At times, their perception misses the mark, is twisted, is off, but it feels “real” to a middle school student.  To help middle school students grow and enrich their learning (academically and social emotionally), a sense of belonging is a must.  A sense of belonging, can be perceived with many factors of influence, by both adults and students.  The feelings from their perception can distract or enhance growth and development in middle school.  To help build a positive sense of belonging, thoughtful consideration should be given to the following:

          

Be Real-Let your personality show through your “title” at school.  Attend student events, cheer, show you care and be real through expression. Your body language speaks a thousand words and students can read it well.  Step out of your comfort zone and be genuine with the students.   

Make It Personal-When you work with students, use examples that they can relate to.  Focus on them, their interests, their talents, their routines, their cultures.  By making conversations personal, you are making a connection and helping them feel a sense of belonging. 

Listen-We have two ears and one mouth for a reason, to listen more than we speak.  Listening to students is so important.  By listening, we not only learn about them, but they feel valued.  Listening also may include asking questions to allow more of the message to be drawn out and to gain a deeper understanding.  This also leads to a greater sense of person to person “connection.” 

Know Student’s Names-Being new to the middle school, I have to admit I struggle with names.  It is a work in progress for me, but necessary.  It’s ok to creatively create your own reminders to help remember student names. Students feel valued when they hear their name.

Welcome Student Voice in Decision Making-A true sense of belonging is when student voice is encouraged when decisions are being made within the middle school.  Students will work harder, perform at a higher level and feel a stronger connection to the school community if their ideas can be part of solutions.

Be Visible-Being visible in the hallways, classrooms, during lunch, recess, before school, at the bus loading and at extra-curricular activities shows connection. This communicates a you, walk by you, not say “hi” but they will see you.  Over time, a continual visible presence will powerful connection to all students.  Some middle schoolers will “ignore” help connect a sense of belonging with each other.

Create Check-Ins During Homeroom/Class-One of the most powerful ways to establish a sense of belonging is to routinely allow time for circle check-ins within each classroom.  Many character traits are developed throughout the year if staff take the time to create a sense of community and belonging through circle check-ins. 

How do you build belonging in your school and your school community?

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Read the previous installments of the Middle School Collaborative:

• Name one characteristic of all great middle school leaders.

• What are some essentials for Middle School Educators, Teachers, or Leaders, at the beginning of the school year?

Running Fartleks

This post is a collaboration between a group of middle school leaders from across the country.  Periodically, these passionate and dedicated middle school principals share their thoughts on issues of relevance for those “in the middle”.  

Name one characteristic of all great middle school leaders.

There are many roles leaders play in education.  Undoubtedly, positions in each of these places require a commitment to excellence, unique to the demands of the position. 

Serving as a middle level school leader requires one to balance the ability to make quick decisions with more deep and thoughtful thought processes, deftly shifting, based upon what’s called for in a specific situation.  

It’s as if we need to run sprints between running a marathon. There is, in fact, a perfect adolescent word for this: fartlek.

(Go ahead, say it. While you’re doing that try not to smirk. It’s a great middle school word.)

What does it take to successfully run fartleks?

Well, it may be no surprise that it’s the same as being a great leader “in the middle”:

VERSATILITY

Think about it. On any given day, we may:

·        greet students

·        hold a 15-minute meeting with 150 kids

·        formally evaluate a teacher

·     visit classrooms

·        attend several scheduled meetings 

·        chat in the hallway with someone we’ve been meaning to talk to 

·        facilitate a restorative discussion between adolescents

·        take a call from a parent regarding an ongoing issue involving their child

·        have several standing meetings with members of our Student Support Team

·        conduct an interview

·        and oh, check...and then thoughtfully respond to emails. 

This is the life we choose when we commit to school leadership “in the middle”.

And, while more often than not, this all happens before lunch periods that begin at 11 am, I’d choose nothing different.


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Chris Legleiter, Principal.  Leawood, Kansas

There are many great middle school leaders that I have been fortunate to work with and get to know through my PLN.  I am grateful for our connections and owe so much of my success to their support. While they have many differences they also have shared qualities as well. One characteristic they all share is the great leaders recognize “it’s about others, not about themselves.”

You can call this servant leadership or simply how they recognize that if “serving others is beneath you, then leadership is beyond you.” Great leaders understand that to help drive a successful school, it always comes back to people and how can you influence their behavior, actions and beliefs. This means connecting with them, supporting their work and finding ways to help them grow. They use this approach for students, staff and parents. This mindset puts a premium on making school a place that people enjoy coming to and celebrating the work together.  They create a school culture that is demonstrated by healthy, positive relationships and led by strong teacher leaders that empower students to be the difference.  This only occurs because the leaders recognize the importance of developing other leaders. As Jimmy Casas shares, “In the end, your legacy won’t be about your success. It will be about your significance and the impact you made on every student, every day, and whether you were willing to do whatever it took to inspire them to be more than they ever thought possible.”

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Donald Gately.  Middle School Principal, Long Island

The single most important characteristic of a middle school leader? Oh boy, there are so many. I’m going to go with the following: Effective middle school leaders need to have good memories. That is, they need to remember what it was like to be a young adolescent. If there’s anything that characterizes middle school kids it’s the fact that they are inscrutable.  If we can’t connect with what it was like when we were 13 years old, then most behaviors of the kids in our schools are going to appear confusing frustrating, anger inducing, sinister, silly, or just plain wrong. When presented with adolescent behavior, one of the best tools in the box is to recall what it was like when we were 13.  Can you remember feeling like you were the only kid who…

• was growing so fast your knees hurt
• had a crush on a girl… or a boy…
• had parents who were too strict, wouldn’t let you do ANYTHING
• felt sad for no reason, or sometimes really happy for no reason
• Still liked playing with legos or Barbies

It’s critical that those who work with middle school kids have a healthy recollection of that time in their lives when they were convinced that nobody had the same fears, joys, interests, and loves that they did. The more in touch we are  with what it was like to be 13, the better we can love the kids who depend upon us to understand what they're going through at this exciting time in their lives.  

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Brenda Vatthauer, Middle School Principal, Hutchinson, MN

When I left my first principal position and moved to a larger school, I received a gift from a teacher.  It was a colorful, well designed wooden desk sculpture that said "Inspire."  The card that accompanied the gift, illustrated the growth and change that teacher had accomplished over the time I was her principal.  I have displayed the "Inspire" desk sculpture in my office for several years, giving credit back to the teacher who I inspired.  I also have been inspired myself by many middle school leaders. 

Being a middle school leader isn't just a matter of knowing what to do--it is a matter of choosing to lead by inspiring others.  Most people will rise above expectations when they know you believe in them and inspire them.  A small token of appreciation, a note or a "special labeled" bottle of water can make the day of a staff member.   A leader accentuating the positive and continually look for reasons to raise people up, can generate rippled inspiration in a school culture.  By highlighting and allowing their strengths to shine, while genuinely showing that you "care", can motivate and inspire even the fixed mindset.   Sharing "celebrations" to begin a staff meeting or headlining your Staff Weekly Bulletin with "Shout Outs" add a new dimension to relationship building which will inspire staff.   Give students, staff, parents and community members a listening ear and provide support, then get out of their way and watch the great things that come. A leader has a way about bringing others along on the journey and keeping the journey alive and real.  Leaders have passion and purpose and lead by example. They find balance and model balance as they continue to learn, lead, grow and inspire others. 

#GroupJump

Who is Your Go-to Person?

This post is a collaboration between a group of middle school leaders from across the country.  Periodically, these passionate and dedicated middle school principals share their thoughts on issues of relevance for those “in the middle”.  

Working at the middle-level is uniquely challenging.  Nobody can do it alone.  

Who is your “go to” person?

Dennis Schug - Middle School Principal, Long Island, New York

Hundreds of adolescents spanning several grades may seem overwhelming and appear, frenetic. As anyone who works with kids turning 10 through 14 can attest, there is a super-charged energy. Passing times and lunchtime resembles a human popcorn popper.  

From a student’s point-of-view, one may feel as if he/she is the only person navigating adolescent challenges. The struggle to get (and stay) organized, manage time, and prioritize tasks. Friendships, family life, changing bodies, developing minds, and the roller coaster of emotions may feel all-consuming. 

Our school’s master schedule includes Advisory, Teaming, and Looping. To personalize and maximize these organization frameworks, school-wide, we ask students, “Who is your Go-to Person?”

A Go-to Person is an adult who a student perceives he/she can trust. This can be a current (or former) teacher, coach, secretary, paraprofessional, school nurse, school counselor, social worker, or school leader, what matters is the connection. 

We speak early (and often) with our staff about the developmentally responsive side of middle school. When at least 50% of our focus is there, the impact can be seen in “the other 50%”: a student’s attendance, motivation, focus, purpose, and achievement. 

Go-to People know what needs to be brought to our Learning Support Team, and what should be shared with a parent or at a team meeting. Sometimes, though, what matters most is that trusting relationship between an adolescent and an adult with whom a student identifies or they feel simply “gets them”. 

Remember being 13? Who was YOUR Go-to Person?

Donald Gately.  Middle School Principal, Long Island

My wife.  My wife is my “go to” person.  Danielle Gately is the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction in the district just down the road from my school.  She’s smart, funny, generous and caring.  Before moving into her present leadership position, her career was spent exclusively in middle school, so she really gets it.    That’s the main thing, you need a go to person who understands the unique nature of working with adolescent learners.  Because they truly are different.  They’re not bigger elementary school kids or smaller high school kids.  Middle school kids are singular beings who only thrive when they are surrounded by adults who are committed to working with them.  Danielle is this person and I’m so fortunate that I have the opportunity to come home from work and bounce things off of her.  In addition to raising our five kids, we talk about everything education and middle school related.  Some people might say that this is a corruption of the so-called “work-life balance”; that to bring home problems and concerns from the workplace isn’t healthy.  We haven’t found this to be so.  Probably because both Danielle and I share the same passion for our work that it doesn’t feel like we’re talking about “work”; instead, we are united by our passions.  Our work and our lives are very much blended together.  I don’t know what I would do without her support and advice.

Chris Legleiter.  Principal, Leawood, KS

For every great leader, a mentor pushed that person into their current reality. When we think of “who is you go to person”, my core beliefs and decision making practices developed from a combination of experiences and individuals. This has been pivotal in my development and from my perspective; here is why a group of mentors is so essential:

• Learning from others increase greater capacity for growth
  Leadership is influence upon others. You must find time to consistently learn latest strategies, reflect and challenge the status quo. You can learn in isolation, but you have greater capacity for growth when you have multiple people with different perspectives and experiences to learn.
• It Provide multiple opportunities for reflection
   Having an extensive PLN provides a platform where you get feedback from others.  They can share different strategies that you can consider for next steps.
• Growth is not automatic but connecting with others becomes intentional practices.  Leaders have very busy lives filled with a variety of tasks, but when you have “go to people,” it provides daily practices and time set aside to reflect and challenge your thinking.  Growth is what separates those who are successful and those who are not.  It takes time to grow and when you have a PLN pushing you, then you will develop over time as a leader. 

Having a “go to person or people” is critical in any person’s development as it provides capacity for growth, reflection and intentional part of your work.

Brenda Vatthauer - Middle School Principal, Hutchinson, MN

Top 5-Who Is Your Go To Person?  Who is the first person you seek out when there is a need?  The need might include a problem to solve, to obtain advice, a listening ear, to gain insight and information, coordinate a large event, bring together community partners, etc.  Timing depends on the context and with someone you trust.  A "go to" person possesses qualities to help make one a better educator, parent, spouse, community member or friend.  A "go to" person has a reputation for:

making solid decisions              well-grounded in beliefs

prepared                                                  responsible

growth minded                            talented

well-rounded citizen                    holistic in points of view

give honest feedback                 resourceful

My Top 5 go to people, or people I have in my corner, I have had firsthand experience with.  I have grown from each group of people as I reflect on earlier interactions which I valued and learned from.  It is the relationship not the transaction which makes the experience so powerful. Genuine connections have been developed over time.  So who are these Top 5 Go-To People?

• Middle School Leader Voxer Group - phenomenal educators who are inner driven, giving honest feedback.
• Former Superintendent (from my first principalship) and Assistant Principals-have a wealth of wisdom, knowledge and insight.
•  Administrative Professionals-have numerous connections that are limitless and they are advocates who have your back.
• Teacher Leaders-have their pulse on the day to day happenings and give input to help in navigating.
• Community School Coordinator-have a jackpot of resources to tap into along with the coordinating skills to make it happen.

In education, a "go to" person can make a real difference in your career and life.  Take time to celebrate how they have supported you in your professional and personal growth.

Did you read our last collaborative post, about some of the “essentials" for middle school educators, teachers, and leaders for the start of a new school year?

Click here to check it out.