Change is a Process....

I began this job mid-year - joining the team at this school in mid-February.  I left my classroom of AP juniors in my past school and decided to further my experience in the areas I truly love - writing, reviewing and improving curriculum, implementing innovative instructional strategies, creating assessments, designing professional development and coaching teachers!  This position offered me the opportunity to work in all these areas without the added burden of attending more classes to get "certified" on a public school level, and to prove that my experience of the past 16 years has given me the tools I need to succeed in such a position.

I have spent the past two months building relationships, reading everything I come across about CIA, attending professional development conferences for myself  - probably more than I have ever attended in the past 10 years all combined - and assimilating into the culture the best that I can.  I have observed classrooms, looked at assessments, met with teachers in one-to-one sessions, attended meetings with groups of teachers and tried to learn about what is done, how it is done and most importantly why it is done in this school.  I truly believe that in order to bring about change, strong working relationships are key to being successful.

One of the most exciting things about this school is that an "Ipad Initiative" for the Class of 2017 is being implemented for the fall.  Much discussion has been had, and multiple PD sessions have been given to prepare teachers to use various ipad apps in their instruction and in their classes, not just for management purposes of student work, but also for implementation into the classroom.  With all the focus on global, digital and media literacy in the current standards and 21st C expectations it is an exciting initiative to be a part of.

While I have taken part in various extra-curricular activities - such as attending athletic events (winter sports were very exciting here this year), chaperoning the Jr. Prom, attending Freshman Retreat - there are just as many I have not been able to attend and mostly due to personal commitments at home and also due to the extensive commuting distance - which has hampered my ability and my wishes to be more involved in the student community.  Becoming an administrator has removed me from the student sphere and I do miss the interaction and the relationships with the young people here.

Becoming an administrator has also removed me from the teaching staff and I do feel that there is a barrier to creating friendships with the staff and getting to know people on a personal level.  The location of my office is part of this issue.  I feel a bit isolated in the corner wing of the library - albeit a wonderfully large and comfortable space - I do feel remote.  I also don't quite know what level of relationship is expected here - I know in my past schools teachers and administrators were quite friendly, socializing on Friday afternoons and at backyard gatherings.  It is a piece of the culture I have not quite fully sorted yet.

What I truly love about the culture of this school is the "quiet.  Not solitude - but a quieting of the soul type of quiet. A calming quiet.  I feel I have become internally quiet.  I feel like I have relaxed and calmed my "passion" - it is not quite so stressful, but rather focused and deliberate work.  I am not working 24/7 - I take a break from checking and writing emails on weekends and I don't have folders and bags full of student work to correct while at home.  My brain is working, but my body can relax and enjoy time social activities on the weekends. My time management skills are kicking in and I feel very productive with what I accomplish during the day in the school building - I don't feel overwhelmed and overworked.  This is quite a change from my former public school life.

Two months into this position I have formed a "mind-map" for forward progress with CIA!  There are wonderful things being done in these classrooms, with caring and dedicated professionals and the task at hand...sometimes seemingly overwhelming...is to document, document, document!  To brag about and provide details on the truly wonderful learning experiences that are happening and to coach some teachers on how to improve and enhance what they are doing.  Student success and what is best for all students is at the heart of this strategic plan and it is time to get it off the "wall of post-it notes" and into some concrete action plan.