The exact opposite of my soon to come negative moment number 6 and the principal I had at the beginning of last year, one day a few months ago, I got observed 4 times in one day, It wasn’t punitive, it was because word spread that I was doing something cool and wanted to see. My principal came in, sat down, and immediately got involved in the lesson. The kids loved having him there, he enjoyed being there, and he even inserted his own history knowledge to give that class her observed something special and unique to go along with his visit. I appreciated it.
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Very different from the principal I used to have that would make things worse by making things up and being rude to the kids.

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Top Ten Positive and Negative Moments in Dallas Education 2015

Positive 06: Supportive Principal
Positive 07: Department Chair Respect               Negative 07: Principals Lying
Positive 08: DISD Student Has Her Baby            Negative 08: Parent thinks their child is stupid
Positive 09: Thanked by a Parent                         Negative 09: Blamed for a DISD Student Fight
Positive 10. Alex Hales and Retired Teacher     Negative 10. Promising DISD Student Gets Pregnant

I have two new department chair this year and it has made my teaching experience several times more enjoyable. Both of them have very different styles and fit together perfectly. They don’t always get along, but I think it’s because they are perfect opposites. That’s always why I think having them share the responsibility of department chair works.

The best moment was when one of my chairs asked me what direction I thought my subject should go over the course of my year, he gave me the freedom to make changes, he checked in with me weekly to see how my plan was going, and then asked to make sure he was being an effective department chair.

The big difference between the chairs I have now and the one I had in the first half of 2015 (who quit shortly after the second semester started) is that both of my department heads treat me like a human being. They respect my intelligence, they actually listen when I have feedback, and they provide the support I need whenever I ask. The give me ideas instead of telling me what I have to do all the time.

I look forward to working with both of them for many years to come.

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Top Ten Positive and Negative Moments in Dallas Education 2015

Positive 07: Department Chair Respect
Positive 08: DISD Student Has Her Baby            Negative 08: Parent thinks their child is stupid
Positive 09: Thanked by a Parent                         Negative 09: Blamed for a DISD Student Fight
Positive 10. Alex Hales and Retired Teacher     Negative 10. Promising DISD Student Gets Pregnant

Last night I blogged about principals lying to teachers about the impact that climate surveys have their pay. They don't impact teacher pay, but they do impact principal pay. As outraged as principals laying to teachers makes me, I don't like to criticize without also seeking to understand. I've talked to a few principals/assistant principals about making things up to teachers and these are the results of the discussions.

1. They honestly don't know - Schools, especially those that are part of large districts, are difficult to run and everything is surrounded by miles of red tape. The expectation that every principal and assistant principal is an expert of the ins and outs of every policy and initiative is unfair. Sure, they miss quite a bit of school for training, but that doesn't mean that they've mastered the information. I had three principals in the past with very different approaches to this. One would always say they didn't know but would ask. I like this approach best. That's what I tell my kids. I had another that would give me an answer and acknowledge that it may not be correct, but that it would get me though the day until there could be clarification. Also acceptable. Short term problem solving and a promise of follow up. The last one would just make stuff up and wouldn't admit that he had no idea what was going on. This only caused chaos and discomfort.

2. They want to be liked - It's sad really. Some principals care more about the popularity contest than actually leading their campus. Others genuinely don't understand the difference. Anytime you hear "look, I don't like it either, but it's district policy," you should check and see if it actually is district policy. This is how teachers end up hating districts and superintendents. People at lower levels blame things on them that they never said because they think people are more likely to comply. It happened with Mike Miles more often because he was the perfect scapegoat / boogeyman, but toward his end the guy started more openly confronting Executive Directors and principals about using his unpopularity to justify making whatever changes in their campuses they were too shy to put theri own name on. Example: At my campus we were told that it was district policy we would get put on a growth plan if our passing percentage was below 10% and that it was district policy. In fact, the district goal was 15% and there was no mandatory growth plan attached to it. 

3. "You can't handle the truth" - Some principals just don't trust faculty and staff to be able to digest the information. I'm not saying principals think their teachers are dumb, but I am saying that principals would rather command than explain and have a discussion of expectations. The other side of it is the belief that teachers do just enough to get by so if they don't lie and say 10% mandatory passing percentage, then the school will never go beyond the district expectations.

4. "We're not lying. You're not listening" - It is entirely possible that some teachers selectively listen. I give instructions in class all the time that bounce around in my students' heads and come out as something completely different. It happens. Sometimes it's not that it was a lie, it was misheard and then spread around town as a great lie of some tyrant trying to rule some school with deception and an iron fist. Having one of these negative experience is possibly why some principals just choose to say whatever they want under the assumption that nobody is listening anyway.

Strong leadership is key to a successful school.If you don't have trust you have nothing. Honesty is part of it. Showing you are knowledgeable and dependable is another part of it. I'm trying to understand even though I will never support lying to teachers. Why? Again, because it's taking advantage of people that aren't paying attention. Most people don't know 100% of how TEI works, what district policy is on every part of a student's uniform is, or any number of small procedures in the handbook. That doesn't mean it's right or fair to use that to your benefit as a campus leader.

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Sometimes admins say things that make us love them and see them as our fearless leaders on campus. Other times, they say things that makes is question how they got to be in the position they are. Sometimes, they say both at the same time leaving us a confused, angry, teacher mob that cant wait to get to Thanksgiving break. 

A teacher shared the following staff meeting story from this morning:

Principal: Let's get through the next few days. I don't want any fights. Relax.

Such a kind thing to say. We're all in it together. Thanks fearless leader.

Principal: Oh, by the way, I'm still doing spots these next two days.

WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU!? WHY? Seriously, why are people doing spots the days before Thanksgiving break? Should every day have excellent instruction? Sure. Are there days where it's much more difficult? Yep. Let's be smart about this observers. Are you trying to help teachers or check off your to do list and get them in trouble? How about next Tuesday? Yeah, let's do next Tuesday.

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I talk about my department chars a lot this year, but it's because they're great, not because I'm trying to brag. My first year I had a woman who didn't know content, had no respect for the administrators, didn't hold meetings, didn't observe my class, and didn't help me become better. She was rude, lazy, and incompetent. 

The next year she quit half way through the year. We were better without her.

This year I have two career teachers with a wealth of content knowledge that are invested in their kids AND mine. 

Here's where teh title comes from though. I was sitting in just talking content with one of my chairs and he stopped during the conversation and said the following: "Am I listening enough? I get excited about the content and start to just talk. I want to make sure you feel like I'm listening and hearing you. I want our conversations to be a 2 way street."

That meant a lot to me. It feels good to be heard. I didn't need him to say that because I've always felt supported and listened to by both of them, but to hear it means a great deal to me. I'm excited to learn from and work with these two.

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For many who have left DISD, those that have considered it, and/or those that are perpetually dissatisfied often say the same things about why they feel the way. Some complain about the kids. Others about the parents. Many more complain about the administration. You even find a few who weep for the state of education in general.

The common complaint I have heard that, in my opinion, binds all of these teachers together is the feeling that they aren't appreciated by the people that should be thankful for the hard work they put in day in day out. Even amongst the teachers who say things like "I don't need convocation to pump me up. My light bill is my motivation." Still have an idea of how they should be celebrated as teachers.

I invited my content leader into my classroom today to observe what I was doing. Not only did I get quality feedback. He praised me on things I didn't even fully realize I was doing and provided me tips on how to be more effective. What else? A personalized letter thanking me for the invitation complete with praise and ways to polish my instruction. It felt good. It made me want to do better. It made me happy to be a teacher.

Generally speaking I'm not as upbeat and hopeful when it comes to education. I don't quite feel like myself these days. Perhaps I can encourage a kid to fight another kid or throw something during class? Maybe that would recenter me and we can all get back to "normal."