Letting Go... It's Tough

I admit it, I'm a little bit of a control freak... Ok, a lot perhaps.  I like my class to be organised, I like to feel like it looks pretty and colourful.  It's something I can control.  And let's face it, there's a lot that we can't control about teaching in today's education scene.

I've been thinking about this for the past few days, how much time I spend on making my classroom look wonderful.  How much time I spend cutting and laminating, cutting again and then arranging on my wall.  I like the process, it's somehow monotonous, soothing.  But it takes time.  And it's never ending.  How much worth do I place in the 'prettiness' of my classroom, how much evidence do I think it holds for me as a 'good' teacher.  Lots it turns out.  Misplaced worth I feel after my days of pondering.

I am a good teacher.  I know that.  My students feel loved and valued.  They know I'm there for them.  That's what is important.  Not how straight my borders are or whether my lettering matches the colour scheme of the display.

In today's fast paced, crazy-busy world something has to give.  And it has to be the something that isn't as important as the rest.  Perhaps the laminating and cutting needs to take a back seat if I'm to get on top of the real stuff this year.  Don't get me wrong, there'll still be laminating and displays but if my cutting isn't perfect or my writing is a little messier than usual I will try my best not to completely re-do the whole jolly thing.  There's just not enough time, and I have more important things to be doing. 

Something Is Missing!

I haven't blogged since Saturday night.  There's nothing particularly amazing or strange about that in my ordinary world.  Until now.  Now is different.  I blogged every single day for the 28 days of February as part of #28daysofwriting.  28 minutes every day.  It feels weird not to have written so far this week.  Like there's something missing.  It's interesting how quickly something becomes a habit.  Blogging became a habit during those 28 days and now at Day 3 post-February, I miss it.  I was tempted to sign up for the next installment of #28days but decided that if it truly was a writing habit then I shouldn't need the hashtag pushing me along.

The beauty of being a part of a writing initiative like that was that I was accountable.  I signed up.  Put my name down.  That means something.  Knowing that I had to write motivated me.  I didn't want to 'fail'.  The perfectionist in me needed to have 28 posts in the 28 days.  But now what?  Something is missing.  

My need to write is bone-deep.  It always has been, and writing this blog was its impetus for coming back to the surface.   The need to let words spill from my fingertips.  So now I write out of the love for it.  The hashtag is still there.  I am tempted to write for both the love and for the hashtag but I will see how this new habit goes.  I'll let it settle and see what comes of it.

Challenge, Motivation, Support - 28 Days Of It

28 days ago I had no real idea of what I was getting myself in for.  I signed up for #28daysofwriting in the hopes that I would get my blog up and running, get back into the habit of writing regularly and make some new connections with other educators.  My one goal was to make it.  To complete the 28 days rain, hail or shine.  I am proud to say I made it.

What I didn't expect was how much I would come to love my 28 minutes of writing each day.  The daily time allowance when I was in quiet reflection about my professional practice became so much more than just 28 minutes.  I didn't expect to be thinking about it or talking about it as much as I have.

In 28 days a lot of things have happened.

I have a sore hand/wrist from typing which my massage therapist picked up on today as she felt the tight muscles.  It's a little like the technology version of the writer's dent I get on my ring finger when I write by hand a lot.  She growled me.  I didn't care.

My typing speed has gone up markedly.  Each night as I sit furiously typing my hands fly across the keyboard of their own accord, like they used to when I was back in University.  I love that.

I have read the blogs of wonderful educators from around the world.  Inspiring posts and fantastic gleanings from these passionate people.  We are in good stead with them in our classrooms, heading our schools or working to train our educators.

In 28 days I have managed to come up with 28 different topics to write on.  Some of them average, some of them make me proud.  My posts have been read by family, friends, colleagues and my wonderful Twitter crew from #28daysofwriting.  Having a blog to write on is great, having an audience to write for is amazing.

I have made some great connections with other educators in the past 28 days, most of whom I hadn't connected with prior to the beginning of the challenge.  I've learnt a lot from them.  More than I can say.  Thank you all for your wonderfully crafted posts and equally amazing encouragement you have given me.  I am so very grateful.

In 28 days I have eaten far too much chocolate.  At the time felt like a reward for working so hard.  Now I just feel greedy.  Perhaps next should be #28dayssugarfree.  That might be a good idea (most likely one to be ignored however).

28 days ago I didn't understand how difficult it would be some days to find 28 minutes of peace and quiet in which to write.  It doesn't sound like very long, but some days it was hard to fit it in.  I've only ever written in the evening.  Sometimes posting, like last night, just before midnight.  Scraping in by the skin of my teeth.  Sometimes I'd remember that @tombarrett lives in Australia so is likely at least two hours behind New Zealand time and wouldn't perhaps realise that I might be late.  Never needed the excuse luckily!

27 of the nights I have managed to be uninterrupted for my 28 minutes because I type once Little Miss Two and Miss Four are tucked up fast asleep.  Tonight I didn't manage to be so lucky.  Tonight I type my last post for #28daysofwriting sitting in a dark room on Miss Two's bed, my presence soothing her off to sleep.  I am cross-legged and hunched over my Chromebook.  My massage therapist would be shaking her head.

And with that I will sign off.  I have loved every second of my #28daysofwriting.  The 28 precious minutes are something so much bigger than what they seem.  My love for writing has been reignited.  I love my blog.  I want to keep it up.  I will keep it up.

Thank you so much Tom and everyone in the #28daysofwriting group.  You have inspired and motivated me.  Challenged my beliefs about best practice.  Encouraged and supported me.  You have given me some of the best professional learning all from the comfort of your own homes far, far away.  We are a small and powerful group of dedicated and passionate educators.  Let's keep doing what we do, and sharing it with the world.    

Turtles, Sharks and Owls

Are you are a Turtle, a Shark, a Teddy Bear, a Fox or an Owl when it comes to dealing with conflict?  I was at a course the other day where these conflict types were discussed and I found it a really interesting concept (you can read another post about the other things I learnt here).  I learnt a lot about conflict, the types of ways people deal with it and how to help students to learn to work through it in a positive way.  All good stuff.

The animals associated with how people instinctively deal with conflict:

Turtle - quiet, retreats from conflict by withdrawing and refusing to talk about the issue.  The turtle avoids conflict at all costs.  They tend to stay away from conflict and avoid the people they have conflicts with.

Shark - aggressive, 'my way or the highway'.  Sharks do not shy away from conflict.  Instead they try to force their opinion or way onto the person they are in conflict with.  They are determined to 'win' and like to compete.

Teddy Bear - does what is expected of them to avoid conflict.  They accommodate and make sacrifices to keep harmony.  A Teddy Bear tries to smooth things over and will put others before themselves in an attempt to preserve their relationships.

Fox - makes compromises, negotiates.  They give a little to get a little.  They are willing to sacrifice and maintain balance for the greater good.  Foxes do not avoid conflict but also don't seek to fully resolve the issue to the satisfaction of both parties.

Owl - comes to solutions that suit both parties, reasons, remains calm.  Owls are collaborative and place great value on goals and relationships.  They like to problem solve and work through a conflict fully to make sure that all parties are satisfied with the outcome.

The point of discussing the conflict types at the course wasn't to decide on which way of dealing with conflict was 'better' but more to allow people to realise the positives and negatives of the way that they operate in a situation where conflict in involved.  Depending on the situation, a person who has developed good conflict management skills may choose to behave in any of the conflict styles to get the outcome that is desired.

As a side note for those of you who read my Maker Time post, Miss Four was looking at her 'cake' earlier and as she was rummaging around in it found a M n M chocolate.  I cannot hazard a guess as to how long it was in there for or what it was touching (a dead cicada or lump of gravel perhaps).  It was promptly eaten.  Awesome.

Reference must be made to the Cool Schools Mediation programme where I heard this information, it is however, written in my own words and I do not claim any ownership over the concept.

Lines, Tears and a Phonecall From My Mother

Oh dear.  This post is going to be all over the show, I just know it.  I don't like it, order and organisation are kinda my 'thing'.

I have crossed the line from tiredness into a state so far past tired that I cannot even think of a word for it. There is, however, no way I was going to miss writing tonight.  Day 25 of #28daysofwriting cannot be missed no matter how badly I want to shut my eyes or even though I feel my brain is working as though packed in cotton wool (bad choice of words - 'working' might be overstating my brain's capacity at the moment).  Forgive me.

We had Goal Setting meetings tonight with our parents and students.  They were amazing.  This year we did things differently, we had our meetings in the Learning Centre together - all our teachers meeting with parents in the same place.  I loved it.  There was a quiet buzz and murmur of conversation around the room and everywhere you looked heads were bent in earnest over tables, in deep discussion about goals for our students.  It was a great night.  Just as well - we have another night of them tomorrow.  This is the point where the tears come in, my last meeting of the night.  Everyone else had finished and my colleague and I were at the table with our last family (coincidentally the only time we'd been able to buddy up and sit in on one of our meetings together).  Master 9 sat in between his parents, his teachers filling in the other side of the circle.  And I was looking at him, this brave little boy sitting at a table with four adults around him, talking about him and his learning difficulties.  Not an easy place to be.  But his face was alight.  And I commented on it, the fact that he realised that around him sat four adults who believed in how smart he really was, four adults who were striving to find ways to help him to show it to the world.  It was the best moment of the night.  I couldn't help but feel tears prick the corners of my eyes as I said the words.  Luckily it was the last meeting of the night.

The phonecall was just that, a phonecall from my mother.  She rang during one of my Goal Setting meetings and I didn't answer (obviously).  She then rang again just now during my 28 minutes of writing, minute 12 to be exact.  Checking up on me.  She knew it was a big day.  I'll make do with 26 minutes of writing today, no complaints here.

So there you have it.  Day 25.  I'm feeling very proud that I blogged tonight despite the randomness of the material I'm posting.  Lines crossed.  Tears.  A phonecall.  That's all I have.  Good night.

Time, More Please

Time, that precious commodity we all crave more of.  I had another whole post that I planned to write tonight but just now as I looked down at the growing to-do-list for school on my screen I was struck by the fact that no matter how many things I tick off in any given day more keep piling up.  So far my list has 23 things on it.  And that's not including teaching full-time and any planning (or my 28 minutes of writing each night or the fact that I have goal setting meetings at school until 8pm for the following two nights!).  It's Tuesday night already and I had planned to clear my list by Friday.  Somehow I don't think this is going to be possible.  Sigh.

Time is defined as the 'point or period at which things occur'.  But time is very relative.  There is actual time and real time.  There are always 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day.  You get the picture.  That's actual time and it doesn't ever change or vary.  Real time is different.   Depending on what you are doing time can either whiz by ridiculously fast or drag by so incredibly slowly.  An hour sitting in the dentist's chair passes like an age, while sitting in an armchair for an hour having coffee with a friend speeds by.

Part of the reason I am struggling is because I'm a perfectionist who likes to keep things ticking along, jobs completed and the list checked off neatly.  Being a perfectionist usually means that the jobs are done well, to a high standard but it also means that I like to do them myself and that takes time.  My time.  So I am going to have to come up with some sort of plan of attack.  I have been thinking of a few ways to make sure that the most important things get done this week.  And so that I keep my sanity.

So here's what I am going to do:

• Prioritise the non-negotiables for each day and for the week - narrow the 23 things down to a manageable number.  Surely those 23 things aren't all absolutely necessary to get completed this week!
• Schedule time to not be disturbed - and use this time to really work to get things done.  This is always a hard thing to do but it is going to be imperative to my list-crossing-off this week.
• Avoid distractions such as social media, TV while working - I will use my time wisely.
• Make sure I take time to relax and unwind too, I know I will be far more efficient and happy if I build this into my day.
• Delegate things that someone else could easily do - this one is important and I have lots of amazing people who would gladly help if they know I need it.  Most of them would be horrified if they read this and realised that I hadn't asked for help.

So there's my sanity-saving, Friday-finishing solution.  Now I've just got to stick to it.  Not turn it into a 'do what I say not what I do' type scenario.  

And with that I have finished my 28 minutes of writing for #28daysofwriting.  In actual time it was 28 minutes on the clock, in real time it was far, far less!

How do you make sure you don't get snowed under with work-related things?  Any advice or helpful hints gratefully accepted!

Like Christmas

You can't see it in the photo but their excitement was plain to see in real life.  Written all over their flushed little faces as boxes were carefully pulled open.  The precious cargo they contained treated as such.  This was a moment we'd been waiting for.  More devices.  The students knew the value in it and it showed today.

Last year my colleague and I embarked on a new journey for our school...  Google Apps for Education (GAFE) and Hapara.  Amazing tools.  We had 12 iPads, six desktops (not in the classroom) and 50 students.  We needed to be creative.  For a start the purpose for us in using GAFE was as a literacy tool, a place to record and share our learning with our peers.  To collaborate and communicate over our learning each day.  We quickly found out the iPads, though incredibly wonderful, were not the best tool for our purpose.  We needed keyboards, anyone using technology to enhance literacy does I believe.  A little research later and my new best friend was found... the Chromebook.  We begged our Principal to consider buying us some.  He pondered on this for some time, and lots of cajoling later agreed to let us trial one each to see if they really were as good as we believed them to be.  Soooo excited!  They arrived and I fell in love.  Head over heels with this little masterpiece of technology.  It did exactly what we needed it to do - it ran Chrome.  Beautifully.

The year progressed at speed.  The budget didn't allow for more device purchases so we made do with what we had (never forgetting how much we actually had - more than a lot we knew).  But two Chromebooks between 50 students was tough.  We used the desktops when we could get to the Learning Centre, the iPads where possible (for docs and photos mainly) but mostly it was a torrent of children begging to use our 'Chromies'.  So we adapted our programmes to suit the skills we wanted them to develop, changed the way we did things to maximise learning time and to ensure that even if they didn't have a device in their hand they were still practising what they would be if they did have one.  In their writing books we utilised a comment margin down the left hand side of the page - commenting on their peers and their own work was something we considered a non-negotiable.  They practised it in their books and they practised it online in GAFE.  We developed writing tasks that were stored online on their Google Drive but could be handwritten and a photo uploaded using an iPad, or typed directly onto the document.  

The students thrived.  They flourished with the added motivation of having their work online, able to be shared with their peers, parents and teachers.  They loved the comments, buzzed over finding another teacher or the Principal had read their work online and left a comment.  Beautiful, supportive comments were left for each other, handy hints given and constructive criticism greatfully received.  It was fantastic.  We were so proud.  But we were always left wondering what would happen if we had access to more devices.  How much we could really push them in their learning, what other amazing achievements they could aspire to.  

Then this year rolled around.  10 new Chromebooks arrived by courier.  10 brown boxes were delivered down to our classroom after lunch by the Principal and her helpers.  It was like Christmas.  We had waited a year for this.  More devices!

We spread the boxes between the students and they patiently waited as we slit the ends of the boxes.  The boxes were opened in unison.  So carefully.  Everyone in that room knew the value of what was inside and it wasn't just monetary.  Oh their faces.  How they lit up when the Chromebooks were revealed from the packaging.  I raced around taking photos, smiling as the excitement bubbled around the room.  

Having worked with 1:25 ratios last year and to now have almost 1:4 - it's incredible.  I am so excited at the possibilities.  They students are abuzz with knowing that they will have far greater access to their much-loved device.  Using them tomorrow is going to be so much fun!

So instead of two best friends I now have 12.  I have to share them with 50 other small people but that's ok.  We shared with far less last year.  The possibilities are endless now.

Sit Still And Listen

 I often think about being a student.  Not a student of today's generation in today's primary school classrooms but about being an adult student in a University.  Learning and growing.  Upskilling and banking more knowledge.  My vision of being a student is somewhat clouded by time, by the distance since I actually sat day after day in a learning environment.  It seems like a pleasant way to spend my days, a somewhat comical dream of an educational utopia.  And then today happened.  Days like this one come along ever so often to remind me that my vision may most likely not be my reality should I endeavour to pursue this dream.

Today I sat as a student in a course for just over 6.5 hours.  Don't get me wrong, it was a very worthwhile and interesting course.  I learnt a lot.  Came away with fresh ideas and a plan of attack for moving forward with the new knowledge and skills I gained.  But I sat.  Pretty still, for nearly 6.5 hours.  The course had some interactive times, and lots of opportunity for discussion and sharing.  But mostly I sat and listened.  At first the novelty of not being the one with the plan of how the day was to proceed was kind of nice.  I was the passenger in the car on a journey that I knew the sort-of-whereabouts of the destination but not the stops and sights along the way.  It was nice... for a while.

I felt myself becoming more distracted as the day went on.  The content was still interesting.  The presenter was great, very enthusiastic and exuberant.  The air conditioning was on... sometimes.  When it wasn't I fidgeted, looked around for some fresh source of air.  People started yawning.  I yawned too and the presenter saw me.  I felt bad.  I know how it feels when you think that someone might be getting tired and bored of what you are saying.  Students are less obvious in their disguise of this emotional state.  I drank water, took a toilet break.  Tried not to check how much time was left until a break.  Two 20 minute breaks all day.  It wasn't enough.

Like I said, it wasn't that the course wasn't a good course.  It was.  It wasn't that the presenter was boring or dull.  She wasn't.  It was the sitting.  The time spent passively listening.  It made me tired and my brain slowly became more and more sluggish.

The lady next to me confided that she was feeling tired, bored, fidgety.  I leaned close and said oh our poor students.  How often do we expect them to sit still and listen?  To participate when we ask them to?  To not fidget or become distracted?  To deal with the heat or coolness of the classroom without having control of the temperature?  I made a mistake and didn't hear an instruction to use a certain pair of colours for a task about grouping.  I had to re-do the offending slips in the correct colour.  It didn't seem like a big deal.  But I sucked it up.  How often do our students feel like this?  That what they have been asked to re-do isn't a big deal?  That the task was done... what's the problem?

Lessons like this a very much needed for teachers.  I need them.  They make me a better teacher.  More tuned in to how my students are feeling.  To the struggles they go through to sit through lessons, where I know the importance of the process or task... but they might not.

Timely indeed.

As we try to cram more and more into our school days, covering our curriculum requirements we sometimes run into morning tea... lunchtime...  Not a big deal right?  Wrong I found myself feeling today.  My lunchtime was later than I'd been led to believe.  I was hungry and in need of a break.  Those few minutes of time that 'didn't matter' because we were still learning... mattered.  To me.  How much do they matter to our students?  I wonder if they look at the clock, sigh inwardly (or outwardly!).

Today's lessons were so important.  I got the course information and the drive to bring a new programme to fruition in our school.  But it was so much more than this that I walked away with.  I will be approaching the week differently on Monday.  Planning for more interaction.  More student input.  Having break time, even short impromptu ones, more regularly.  Access to water.  Fresh air.  Lots of discussion time.  Choice over activities and topics as much as possible.  Less covered, but what is covered, covered better.  Food.  Stretching.

I know the students are going to appreciate it.  I think I will too.

Pipeline Leadership

Teachers are like most professionals in other vocations.  They want to grow throughout the course of their career in education.  This might be in formal leadership positions or in skill and knowledge - both admirable aspirations.  Teachers often want to stay at their current school but are not given the opportunities to grow as leaders or broaden their skill set in a way that fulfils their desire to move ahead with their career .  How many teachers do you know of that have moved onto other positions within new schools because their career aspirations or opportunities to advance are not addressed?

Pipeline Leadership is a model for growing the people you have within your organisation into the leaders you will need in the future.  We have such untapped talent in many of our schools.  Do we really know what our teachers aspire to?  Where they see their future in education?  Initiatives such as ACET here in New Zealand are trying to provide some recognition and incentive for teachers who are excelling in their careers to remain in the classroom, at the coalface in front of our greatest asset - our children.

Pipeline Leadership minimises the need to look outside of ourselves for new leaders, instead growing the skills and knowledge base within the staff already in the school, providing a firm platform for future growth and leadership.  Effective Principals recognise the need for advancing student achievement and hand-in-hand seek to cultivate the leadership talents of their teachers.  Building leadership teams, ensuring a meaningful delegation of responsibility and developing future school leaders have to be the most effective ways of managing a school effectively (http://www.newleaders.org).  

The Pipeline Leadership model seeks to develop leadership skills at every level in an organisation which means that the knowledge and mindset required to lead at the next level is successfully developed in the people moving forward into new leadership roles.

How might this work in a school setting?  What sorts of conversations and Professional Learning opportunities would we be seeing if we were seeking to develop the leadership talents from within?  What feedback and feedforward would be given freely out?  How would we be supporting and mentoring each other?

I will leave you with a quote from Tom Peters:

Reframing the Loss

Change.  It's everywhere.  I found this quote by Deepak Chopra and it really reasonated with me.  All great changes are preceded by chaos.  It reminded me of something I heard last year that changed the way I feel about change.  And the way I deal with others going through it.

Last year I was lucky enough to attend ULearn14 with my colleagues.  It was an experience like no other I've been to in my teaching career.  I happened to stumble upon a really amazing speaker.  His name was Mark Osborne and after I heard him speak, the first time by accident, I went and changed sessions I had already booked to see him two more times during the three day conference.  He spoke a lot about change.  And it changed me.

There are two types of responses to change.  First Order Change and Second Order Change.  Depending on the situation people will fall into either category or some combination of both.  As leaders we need to be aware of these differences and receptive and responsive to both.  We need to have built positive relationships with our staff so that when these changes occur we are able to help each other through them and come out a stronger team on the other side.

Change is difficult.  Sometimes overwhelmingly so.  People often have a lot to lose when something changes and this is extremely hard.  A leader needs to recognise the response to change and to give the person what they need to get through it.

First Order Change is a when a person is learning something new and is open to the change but needs help in managing it.  It might be the addition of new technology into their classroom such as iPads or the change from PCs to laptops.  People going through this type of change need manuals, checklists and helpful tips to get them used to the change and embrace it.  This kind of change is relatively simple.  Just provide the scaffolding and support.  Done.

Second Order Change is harder.  Much harder.  It often occurs when a current framework is changed, perhaps something like moving from a paper system of management to a paperless one, bringing in BYOD in a deviceless school or completely changing the year level that a teacher has always taught in.  A person going through this type of change will feel threatened, scared, or like there is no-way possible that they will be able to manage this new 'normal'.  This response requires kindness, support, a listening ear, reassurance.  There needs to be trust and a supportive relationship to get through this change successfully.

When I think about the times in my teaching career when someone has really dug their toes in about something, I am left convinced that they were going through Second Order Change.  When I think about how I could have helped them more, I wish I had known the things I know now.  While I, or some of my other colleagues, may have needed a manual or a quick demo to learn the new skill, the toe-digger probably needed someone to talk to about how scary this was for them, someone to give them reassurance and guide them gently and patiently through.  Toe-diggers are often seen as saboteurs or dissenters of new ideas.  They are often given the same manual as the rest of the team and told to get on with it.  How well does this really work.  Is the change embraced?  The person left motivated and inspired?  In my past experience, no.

The next time you see a colleague digging their toes in, ask yourself if they have something to lose, if the change is actually overwhelmingly scary and big for them.  Ask them how they are feeling about it and listen between the lines.  Take them out for a coffee.  Build your relationship.  Give them reassurance and offer to guide them through.  You might be surprised how the response changes.  I dare you.

Thanks to Mark Osborne (@mosborne01) for introducing this idea to me, for helping me to learn how to help others through change.  

Pencil Personalities

We all have them in our schools.  The Pencil Personalities.  I'm not sure who crafted this nifty little image but it was based on one from www.teachers.ash.org.au.  I love it.  Hopefully the image is clear enough to read but I will attempt to explain the Pencil Metaphor in more detail below.

First we have the Leaders.  These are the driving force behind change in our schools.  The people who take the bull by the horns and jump in feet first when something new and technologically exciting comes along.  At the 'pointy end of things' as my old Principal used to say.

The Sharp Ones watch carefully to see what the early adopters have done with the technology, they take the best parts, learn from their mistakes and put lots of effort into making sure that their students have the best opportunities available to them.  The Leaders and Sharp Ones are the visionaries in your school.  They need support and time to try new things in a safe environment.  They also need time to focus and consolidate new knowledge and practices before charging onto the next adventure.  A good leader will provide the scope for these people to be creative and enthusiastic but also keep a little tension on the reigns so that they don't end up miles and miles ahead of everyone else thus creating a divide in your staff.

The Wood.  I like this one.  They would use the technology if someone would set them up with it, give them training and keep the programmes running for them.  These are the people who like to think they walk the talk, but really things would fall over if there wasn't someone in the background managing it for them.  The Wood people are usually going through first-order change, they need manuals, step-by-step instructions to help them through the change it's not so much scary as it is work.

The Ferrules are people who grasp tightly onto what they've always done.  They don't really like change and believe that traditional practice serves our students just fine thank you.

The Erasers are those people in your school who like to erase or undo the hard work done by the Leaders.  They are the ones who are stuck-in-the-mud, who don't like change because they have something to lose from changing.  They like to sabotage attempts to develop modern teaching practices and introduce new technology.  The Ferrules and Erasers have something to lose by changing from the status quo.  They are going through second-order change and need a lot of emotional support to help guide them through what to them is a scary experience.

And... the Hangers-On.  These people mean well, they like to attend Professional Development sessions and learn all the latest lingo so they can talk about it, but they never actually do anything with it.  These people need to be motivated.  They need to know the purpose and outcomes for the change.  They need a reason to want to make the leap from talking about the change to actually diving in and doing it.

So... the Pencil Personalities.  They are out there in our schools.  We all fit into one of the categories.  As leaders we need to manage the variety of personalities on our staff and help to guide everyone towards the greater goal of best practice, and provide the best opportunities for our students.

Which Pencil Personality are you??

Just One Of Those Days

Today I had one.  You know, one of those days.

It began at 3am with the dramatic appearance of Miss Four standing beside my bed, and continued for the next two hours with a little hand flung repeatedly into my face, or a knee jabbed into my back.  She was asleep.  I was not.  Two hours more of precious sleep and then the day began.  I got to work early.  Very early.  Today was going to be a busy day.

The day snowballed from there.  It was me.  I was run off my feet today.  Start-of-the-year-itis.

Volunteered to do the coffee run, early morning staff meeting, rush to get long term planning and timetables ready to hand to admin, talking to parents, teaching, marking papers, gluing on book labels, cutting art work, teaching the students about the Treaty of Waitangi, covering duty for a colleague with an injured ankle, cleaning water spills in the bathroom, teaching, helping other classes, checking on enviro, teaching, dealing with lunchtime issues in the playground, missing lunch, eating lunch late, teaching, manning the pool, talking to parents, dishing out art resources.  Sigh.  It was one of those days.

You know the kind - non-stop.  Not even enough time to sit down for a breather.  No breaks.

My saving grace came in the form of my colleagues and students.

A helping hand on the coffee run, collaborating over Google Docs for timetables and long term plans, an extra pair of hands to cut labels, team teaching, a thank you from a relieved colleague with an injured ankle, a child who tearfully owned up to the water spill and helped to clean it up, students who were willing to run errands around the school for me when they'd finished their work, a sandwich brought for me from a colleague who knew I'd forgotten lunch today, team-players who came and helped out with tricky playground matters, magnificent students who followed instructions and got everything done that I asked of them, light-hearted conversation while manning the pool, an extra pair of arms to carry the art gear.  It was one of those days.

I am so lucky that on one of those days, I had one of those days where even though everything seems to be crumbling around me, there are helping hands to help me scoop up the pieces.

So.  Lucky.

Dipping My Toes Into Something New

New year's bring with them the possibility and excitement of new challenges and beginnings.  A challenge that I have decided to commit to in 2015 is writing a personal blog of my professional practice.

Half Cold Coffee was born when I glanced down beside me as I sat typing on my computer and noticed that once again my coffee had sat for far too long to be palatable, desirable or even drinkable.  As a teacher this is an all-too-regular daily (many times a day!) occurrence as I rush from task to task - sadly, but out of necessity, the coffee always loses out!

So come join me on my journey to connect with others in the educational field through the medium of blogging.

Word to the wise - drink that coffee before it gets cold!