I had lunch today at 2:30. As Mr. P. said, there is just not a good time to take a lunch break, and so he got in the habit of not taking one. I need to think about my policy for that when I am an administrator. I don't know yet. Any tips, hints?I called the mom of a boy that got in a fight the other day, and she exploded. She says that her boy is constantly being picked on and nobody ever takes his (or her) side. She is ignored in her complaints and not given any consideration. She yelled and cried and complained and bad-mouthed and threatened and every single thing she could do.I stayed calm, focused on being empathetic and understanding (though she deserved neither) and tried to help her understand she didn't need to get so upset. She came in later and I talked to her again. She got much more emotional and was complaining a lot. She even threatened calling the police! I realize that I should have called her when the actual problem happened, and I should have probed more to find out if there were any witnesses, or maybe even checked the cameras.This woman was being irrational, and I even went so far as to go get a transfer form so she move her kid from this school. I tried very hard to stress that if she felt her kids were not safe here, she was not required to leave them here. She has a son at a different school, and so she can take this child there as well.She talked to her son about what happened before she left, and he told her there were witnesses to what happened, and he was innocent; he was attacked without provocation. I said I would talk to the other students who saw what happened, and go from there. I did. Those boys agreed that this little boy (as I suspected earlier) was making fun of the other boy that attacked him. I am not going to call and tell her that, though. She does not want to hear that. She feels she is being victimized and nobody listens to or trusts her or her son. That makes dealing with her situation very difficult. If she is unwilling to listen to me, or anyone else for that matter, there is not much I can do. She wants to be mad, and she is choosing to do that.That is a very brief summary of all that actually happened. I think that I handled it pretty well. I was empathetic, admitted to no wrong-doing (because I really don't think there has been anything wrong), and helped her feel (I hope) that she was being listened to. Hopefully that is enough.Have a Good Life.

That is all it took today, 35 minutes. In 35 minutes I had been in every classroom except 3 at school, and left every teacher a note about what I liked in their room. Many said thanks. Many said, "That was a bad time to be in my room. We were waiting for the fire drill." True, but I still found some stuff that was worthwhile and worthy of a comment. Can I as a principal give up 35 minutes to informally observe my teachers? Wouldn't that make official evaluations so much better if I am in their rooms more than once a semester?The real question is how do I find the time to be in every room?My answer: I don't think that I need to leave a note in every room, but I think that if I leave a note at least once every couple weeks, it could do some real damage. And I mean good damage. It will help me be more comfortable with them, and it will help them be more comfortable with me.I have noticed, by the way, that people treat me differently now, even though I am just an intern, and have no real power. You know how when you are talking with a person in a position of authority and you are done talking but they are obviously not? Sometimes you wait to be "dismissed" by their words or actions. I have noticed a lot of the teachers do that with Mr. P. when they come into his office. This happens with me a little bit; not much, but enough for me to notice already. Also, I feel like people are more wary of what they say around me, too. Again, not everyone, but it is interesting that I am starting to feel that way after only a week. I have heard many leaders say that leadership is a lonely business. They may be correct.Have a Good Life.

Today, Mr. P. had the day off. I think it was because it was his birthday, and he didn't want the attention. He is that kind of guy. That meant that I was all alone.Here is what I don't get. I talked to this kid this morning about fighting because he got in a little tiff with some boy before school at the bus stop. Then, about 20 minutes later, this same boy gets in a fight on the playground. The kid he got in a fight with has been in fights before now, and he doesn't always think before he acts. Well, bus stop boy was certainly the aggressor in the situation. I sent him home. Any other day that I didn't talk to him 20 minutes earlier, I would have sent the kid with a history home. Why would you do something like that so soon after you had just received a lecture about fighting? I just don't get it. Maybe I am not a good lecturer.And beyond that, when bus stop boy's mom came in to pick him up, she complained about both boys that her son fought with bullying her son. Honestly, that is what I have heard the most of in the people that I have been dealing with. Every time I call a parent, they say, "Well, that kid has been mean to my son all year long!"The problem with kids that get bullied is that they often do not tell adults. And, sadly, when they do, most adults see them as weak, babies, tattletales, or whatever. Many adults don't do anything about it. For good reason. If we took care of every single complaint brought on by a child, we would constantly be tracking down kids for saying some tiny little thing. There is not enough time in the day or (tea in China) to do that. (And, by the way, kids lie.)Dealing with bullies is a tough situation:They don't do anything where adults can seeThey know how to play the game (be good around teachers, and you won't get blamed)They don't leave visible woundsIt is always two-wayIt turns to a battle of he-said she-saidKids lieIf it is not two-way originally, it turns into two-way by the time the story gets to the administrator who has to sort it out.My advice to kids that are bullied is to write things down. I tell them to write down anything mean that another kid does. When someone does something, they need to walk to an adult, stand by them (so they are left alone), and then write down exactly what happened. When they have three things by one person on their list with dates, they have proof that they are being bullied. (I think any teacher would be hard-pressed to ignore a student that had done that much footwork.) If that teacher does not do anything, take the list to another adult anywhere in the building, especially the office.Keeping a record is not an easy concept for kids, but I can't figure out any other way to deal with bullying in a systematic way, and without inciting kids to do all sorts of lying and manipulating to get other kids in trouble. By writing things down, they are committing to a story--a story that is hard to change later.I tell this to every kid, and either the bullying has stopped, or it wasn't really bullying to begin with, or the kids never write anything down, and just bottle it up until they explode.Dang.Have a Good Life.

After spending some time as an administrator, I have decided that I will send kids to the office only if they are harming (or threatening to harm) other students or if I have documented disruptive behavior. Last week a teacher sent down all but 4 kids from her whole entire class. Another teacher sent down a kid that as she said later, she "could have taken care of it in three minutes" but she didn't.The problem is that when kids come to the office because the teacher is so mad he can't stand being in the same room with the student; I don't feel that same frustration. If it is something little, I can't be mad about it. It just doesn't bother me as someone who is removed from the situation. I know how it feels to be frustrated with so much passive-aggressive (or just aggressive) behavior from students. The problem is that the teacher wants the kid out of the class forever, but I can't justify that.The reason that I bolded "documented" above is that if I have documentation from a teacher about what Xander is doing in class every day and I see the interventions the teachers have made to correct his behavior, I can have a lot more feeling and passion behind the disciplinary action I can take. If a kid has been sent out of class and given packets to correct his behavior for many days in a row, and nothing has changed, it makes more sense to send him down.The biggest problem is that all that teacher work takes time and effort. It is hard to be motivated to help misbehaving kids. You just want them out of your sight. It is a fine line I will have to walk.Have a Good Life.

Today I met Mrs. P. She is going to be the new principal after Mr. P. retires. Well, I actually met her for about 38 seconds when I had my first full day at ES. She seems very with it and I am excited to see how she runs the school.This internship is working out better than I had ever thought. I will get to see two really good principals in action. I will get to learn from two really good principals. I will get to see what happens at a school when a new principal comes in (those lessons will come in very handy because I will be a principal at some point, and I need to be somewhat prepared for that). I can put on my critical glasses and view the teachers', secretaries', Mrs. P's, and the students' reactions. I think this will be invaluable to my learning. I have had some great opportunities to stand on my own two feet and this will make my internship even better.Mrs. P. told me that she cares about student learning. She cares about the kids. I remember when I first decided that I wanted to be a principal and I shadowed Mr. Bone in The Burg and he said that before him the principal only focused on the teachers. Before that principal, the focus was only on making the parents happy. Mr. Bone never understood how a principal could focus on anything but the kids. That was his top priority, and that has stuck with me for a long time. It is important. The kids are who we are there for.With a new principal coming, I know that there is going to be some gossiping, some complaining, some "whispered secrets" in dark corners. That is too bad. I don't want that to happen. People need to be open and honest about their feelings and thoughts. In an effort to ease the transition, I have been collecting peoples' thoughts and concerns about getting a new principal. The responses have been interesting. I think some of the faculty still don't trust me, and that is okay, but many of them have been very forthright with their fears. I hope that Mrs. P. will use it as an opportunity to address their concerns and be aware of what they are afraid of. Obviously, it is her school, and she will run it how she wants, but I would think that some advance knowledge would be very good to know. I really think it will make the transition easier. If I have an opportunity, I hope that I can get this kind of input when I am a principal.Have a Good Life.

This article is contributed by Heather Johnson, who regularly writes on the topic of grants for graduate school. She invites your questions and writing job opportunities at her personal email address: heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.Motivating your students can be the most challenging aspect of your job. The factors why a student isn’t particularly responsive on a given day are vast. You’re not going to have the magic potion to make all your students alert and attentive all the time. This is a fact you’re going to have to live with. However, there are a ton of ways you can try to turn the tide in your classroom. Not all of these will work for you as there is an ebb and flow to your classroom. Here are six tips to consider the next time you feel your class isn’t putting forth an acceptable level of effort:1. Make sure your classroom is comfortable. Sometimes the problem can be as simple as having an uncomfortable environment. Make sure the room temperature is at a level that is comfortable for you and your students. Check the lighting and air circulation. These are details that can often be overlooked but can be the key to maintaining a steady level of attentiveness.2. Pay attention to strengths and weaknesses. Reward students for excellence and work on bringing up their weaknesses. When the student sees that rewards are out there for solid work, they’ll usually take the onus on themselves to strive to strengthen areas that are weak.3. Relevance goes a long way. Come up with ways to make your material that you need to cover relevant to your students’ ages. There are ways you can make the driest material interesting to your students. This is a key you have to strive for when you’re trudging through the mundane.4. Keep moving. When you’re lecturing, move around the room and stay energetic. Even if the material you’re covering isn’t the most exciting stuff your students will pick up on your energy and be more receptive to the material.5. Show, don’t tell. Straight lecturing will bore your students to no end. They need you to give examples when you’re presenting material. Keep the phrase, show don’t tell, in mind when you’re in front of your class.6. Let your sense of humor shine through. Students will connect with you if you can use your sense of humor as a teaching tool. Exhibiting a sense of humor will forge a greater connection between you and your pupils. Don’t be too silly as this can lead to a loss of control of your classroom, but using some wit will make your material not so dry.

"This is my little Utopia," Mrs. P. told me as I toured her school. Later, I asked her if she would be satisfied leaving it if it wasn't a utopia. "Well, probably not!" she replied. I am really glad that I was able to go tour her school. She has a bit of a reputation as someone who will not take a lot of "scruff" from her staff and faculty. I got to see how much of that is true. She seems like any other leader that expects greatness. If you don't want to live up to your full potential, you are not going to be happy working for her.I also got to sit in on her meeting with the principal that is replacing her. That was very interesting because I got to see what she really expected and cared deeply about.Here is what I perceived. First, she cares about what the students are learning. She puts great effort into making sure that each classroom is a safe, comfortable learning environment where learning does happen. No faking it here!Second, she believes in presenting a united front to parents. She is on the teacher's side almost all the time. If it is a problem with the teacher, she will present a united front and then deal with the teacher later.Third, she is in charge of her school. If it has her name on it, she needs to see it. She likes to see everything and know about everything that is going on that will have her approval.These are the three most important things I learned about her leadership style.In the two hours that I was there, not one kid was sent down to the office for discipline issues. Nice.Have a Good Life.

I spent most of my day sounding a blowhorn every 15 minutes for field day. My biggest takeaway is that there needs to be something for kids to do who are not able to attend or get kicked out of field day. Idle hands are the devil's playthings. Kids need something to do with themselves if they are not participating in a school-wide activity. I would suggest cleaning the school since it is close to the end of the year, and cleaning is usually a pretty boring thing to do.Have a Good Life.

Mr. P., in the few moments we had to talk today, mentioned a couple points to remember. He said that one of the most important things I can do to prepare to be a good principal is learn about what a good teacher looks like. Knowing how to identify those qualities will help in hiring, training, retaining, and mentoring.He also reaffirmed my idea that leaving a note is important. Small acts that help teachers know what they are doing well go a very long way. It opens the door to mention things they need to focus on to improve. You build trust that you care about them, and you aren't threatening their job security, but simply letting them know how they can be even better.Have a Good Life.

I thought that since today was the last day Mr. P. was here, I should write my thoughts about what I learned from him.First of all, though, it has to be hard to retire. You put your whole life into something, and then it just vanishes in no time. You walk out the door, and you are no longer a part of that. It is hard.Mr. P. is famous for saying, "All our kids are good kids." He didn't just say that, it was part of his belief system. It was a huge part of his belief system.Part of doing that was always separating the kids from their actions. They would do something that was wrong, and he would say things like, "Mikey, you are a good kid. You wouldn't usually do stuff like this, would you?" I don't know how they felt about it, but I sure felt like he cared about each kid's welfare. He also stressed the importance of letting kids know that you care about them. Many kids don't get that feeling at home, and if they can get it here, it may be the only place. So it is very critical that they feel safe and comfortable here."Give people enough info to make intelligent decisions, then let them decide it." He liked to give people authority to make decisions, and if he gave them enough information, they would usually come to a conclusion that he would have come to as well.He often said that his office was a center of respect. Kids came in to his office and gave him respect. He treated them with respect as well, and if they were not respectful, they didn't belong in his office until they settled down.As one of the teachers was checking out today, he said to Mr. P. "Thanks for being a human principal. You treat us like humans" and seem to understand the delicate balance that must be maintained while you serve all of your publics (your supervisors, teachers, parents, students).There are a lot of people that think they should be served by a principal. It is important to remember that the most vital people to serve as principal are the kids.Have a Good Life.