In this second part of the interview with Jeff Paul, we will learn about:How he handles the stress of being a principalHow you can be a transformative principalWhy you should follow the people below on TwitterThe special thing in his officeJeff says these are the twitter accounts to follow:@williamparker, @KleinErin, @@principalspage (MichaelSmithSupt), @ToddWhitaker, @educationweek, @NMHS_Principal (Eric Sheninger), @drjolly (Darin Jolly), @principalJ, @andygreene.Check out this episode!

In this episode, I am priveleged to interview Doug Hallenbeck. Doug was recently named the Assistant Principal of the year from the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals. Doug has worked under four really great principals and he shares some great insight about how to be an amazing assistant principal.I wanted to interview Doug because he has a great story. He is a thoughtful, caring, and transformative leader. He has been a guiding force in our district since its inception. We are very fortunate to work with him.In this first part of the interview, Doug discusses:How he got to where he is.How he manages working under someone who has a different leadership style and may make different decisions than he.The mentors that have helped him become a better leader.Why he turned down a principalship and stayed as an assistant.Advice for new principals from his perspective as an Assistant Principal.You'll really enjoy this interview with Doug. He is amazing.Let's make sure to give him a few hundred more followers on Twitter. He is @Hallen100.Check out this episode!

In this second part of the interview, I am priveleged to talk with Doug Hallenbeck. Doug was recently named the Assistant Principal of the year from the Utah Association of Secondary School Principals. Doug has worked under four really great principals and he shares some great insight about how to be an amazing assistant principal.I wanted to interview Doug because he has a great story. He is a thoughtful, caring, and transformative leader. He has been a guiding force in our district since its inception. We are very fortunate to work with him.In this second part of the interview, Doug discusses:How to attract and retain great talent.A nice little side discussion about general trends in teaching hiring.His advice for an assistant principal to be a transformative assistant principal like him.What special thing he has in his office.His experience discussing education with Chinese educational leaders.How he makes parents feel good when their kids get in trouble.What he suggests APs should do to be transformative Assistant Principals.Here is more information about the Tier 2 retirement in UtahYou'll really enjoy this interview with Doug. He is amazing.Let's make sure to give him a few hundred more followers on Twitter. He is @Hallen100.Check out this episode!

In this episode I have the great opportunity to interview Melinda Miller (@mmiller7571). I have followed her for a long time on Twitter, and I loved the podcast she did with @ScottElias called Practical Principals. That great podcast partly inspired me to start this podcast. I still haven't found a podcast that talks about the real issues that are facing toOur conversation covers these topics:How she gets teachers on board with technology.How she allows teachers to filter out what she says and when.She gives her thoughts on requirements for teacher's blogs, which are a requirement for her.How Melinda deals with the roadblocks of implementing new things (including technology).How she knows how hard to push her teachers, and what to focus on when she is pushing her teachers.How she allows her faculty to talk to her about when she is pushing too hard.How she implemented 1:1 Chromebooks in 4th grade when a bunch of other stuff was coming down the pike.How she prepares for the beginning of a new school year. (And here is the ASCD article on her flipped faculty meeting.) Keep your flipped faculty meetings short, to the point, and give teachers plenty of time to look at the information.Most important tip for starting flipped facutly meetings.How important it is to have video or audio to help people not misunderstand what they are doing wrong.Check out this episode!

In this episode I have the great opportunity to interview Melinda Miller (@mmiller7571). I have followed her for a long time on Twitter, and I loved the podcast she did with @ScottElias called Practical Principals. That great podcast partly inspired me to start this podcast. I still haven't found a podcast that talks about the real issues that are facing to Our conversation covers these topics: Positive intentions - how she approaches teachers who need to be corrected. Turnover and how she gets great people to come to her school. Her quick-start personality and how she shares results of her evaluations with the teachers. Adaptive schools trainings were conducted at her school, and here is more information about it. How she uses Twitter for her own learning and how she teaches others, she is a Twitter grandmother according toSpike Cook. How she uses Pinterest to help her teachers. Using a Voxer group of principals to talk a little more privately about topics that are Jethro's Twitter failure when he was a teacher. What is one thing a principal can do to be a transformative principal like you are? What is something in her office that is meaningful to you? She has a lot of great information on her blog. If you read blogs by principals and you aren't reading hers, you are missing out. Have a Good Life.Check out this episode!

Sponsor: Sanebox Avoid email insanity. Start saving time by using Sanebox which acts as a personal secretary, keeping all the unimportant emails from interrupting my day. I get an email digest of all the emails that I missed during the day at a time when I choose. I love Sanebox and I think you will, too!I’m really excited about this interview with Eric Sheninger@NMHS_Principal.Eric goes over the 7 pillars of Digital Leadership in his new book:CommunicationPublic RelationsBrandingStudent Engagement/LearningProfessional Growth/DevelopmentReenvisioning Learning Spaces and EnvironmentsOpportunityEric talks about how his school’s journey and how that can be a template for changing from a mandate-driven school to one of empowerment.Our conversation includes the following:How social media has changed and pushed his view of the world.What we don’t know we fear.Why it is important to give students a voice.How to get students to be the focus on the essential skill sets.How to make learning for students applicable to their (and our) real lives.How to change midstream from one way to do things to how he does them now.We need to be the lead learners.How to get all teachers on board with a vision (hint: it is all about mindset).How he gives his teachers autonomy in what they are doing in their classrooms.How making learning fun contributes to higher scores, graduation rates, and college graduation rates.What you can do to be a transformative principal today. Get on Social Media and don’t reinvent the wheel.What motivates and inspires him. His students. He has pictures on his walls in his office that help him focus on what is most important.Eric talks about how he pulled 5 teachers aside in 2009 to instill his vision in their minds. He joined Twitter in March 2009, and so he really did have a change of heart. He shows that when he learns something new, he knows that it is important to implement it and change his life.Have a Good Life.Eric's Book Summary:It’s time for the next generation of leadership. Digital leadership is a strategic mindset and set of behaviors that leverages resources to create a meaningful, transparent, and engaging school culture. It takes into account recent changes such as ubiquitous connectivity, open-source technology, mobile devices, and personalization to dramatically shift how schools have been run and structured for over a century.  Leading in education becomes exponentially powerful when using technology to your advantage.

Eric Sheninger—"Principal Twitter"—shares his Pillars of Digital Leadership to help readers:• Transform school culture by initiating sustainable change• Use free social media tools to improve communication, enhance public relations, and create a positive brand presence• Integrate digital tools into the classroom to increase student engagement and achievement• Facilitate professional learning and access new opportunities and resourcesThe time is now, whether you are a building level or teacher leader, to boldly move schools forward in the digital age.Check out this episode!

Sponsor: Sanebox, erase email insanity!  Sharyle Karren has been a principal for the last 22 years! She has a lot of experience and this interview is a really great opportunity to learn from a great principal about how much she has helped students over the years. In this interview, we talk about the following: Her history as a principal and some of the trials she went through. The common theme through her experiences is that she had a positive attitude and knew that the people she worked with were amazing individuals. How she opened a new school, her current school. Establishing positive community relationships. How she went to each local organization and "dug her roots into the community". How she established walking field trips to further establish a positive community relationship. How she manages intern principals. She has a great balance of allowing interns to make decisions, but making sure that they know that they need to talk to her. She gives them an opportunity to learn, but allows them the authority to make decisions What things she keeps for herself and refuses to delegate to her AP or interns. Challenges associated with training interns and Assistants. How she establishes relationships with schools that are close by.  Check out this episode!

  Sharyle Karren has been a principal for the last 22 years! She has a lot of experience and this interview is a really great opportunity to learn from a great principal about how much she has helped students over the years. In this interview, we talk about the following: Her history as a principal and some of the trials she went through. The common theme through her experiences is that she had a positive attitude and knew that the people she worked with were amazing individuals. How she opened a new school, her current school. Establishing positive community relationships. How she went to each local organization and "dug her roots into the community". How she established walking field trips to further establish a positive community relationship. How she manages intern principals. She has a great balance of allowing interns to make decisions, but making sure that they know that they need to talk to her. She gives them an opportunity to learn, but allows them the authority to make decisions What things she keeps for herself and refuses to delegate to her AP or interns. Challenges associated with training interns and Assistants. How she establishes relationships with schools that are close by. Check out this episode!

  Sponsor: Sanebox      Transformative Principal on Stitcher   Refer A Principal   Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey   In this second part interview, Sharyle and I discuss the following:   Community helping out those who need it. What the best parts are of having a new intern every year. She answers the question of how to be a transformative principal. Look at the big picture. She answers the question of what is in her office that inspires her. Then we talk about all the great ways she has involved her community in her travels, and how she gets them to see the big picture of helping others. Because she is so involved in her community, she knows what skills and Partnership with Apa Sherpa Foundation and Healthy Draper. Article about Apa Sherpa’s retirement Going to Peru and involving the whole school. Going to Africa and involving the community and school. How she convinces parents and her community to get on board with her ideas. How she connected Meet the Masters art program with music and dance.  Check out this episode!

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey Follow @TrnFrmPrincipal on twitter! Like Transformative Principal on Facebook Show Notes Andy Greene is a transformative principal at Candlewood Middle School. We talk mostly about professional practice and professional development. Andy is a master at these two things. I learned so much from Andy, and I am so thankful he took the time to speak with me. Here are some bullet points from our discussion: How he ensures that teachers are continuous learners How he ensures that faculty meetings are like miniature college courses. How he uses backwards design for his faculty meetings. How he ensures that teachers come to faculty meeting and make sure that they all get something out of it. Mission and Vision Document Professional Expectations Document How he helps everyone see they are a member of a team. What it means to bow low. This: How he has hard conversations with teachers and balances that with positive feedback. When he decides to divulge information to teachers about how they are perceived. The importance of having staff that can tell you how things are really playing out among the staff. The intentional things Andy does to make sure his staff feels that they are in a comfortable learning atmosphere. Seek first to understand before being understood. How Andy would approach a staff that he needs to "clean up." He sent a bunch of stuff over to me, and sharing is caring, so here it is for you. First, he sent two files that I read from in the interview: Expectations 2014 (Word Doc) - This document goes over the expectations he has for the staff at his school. Updated as often as needed, and discussed just as often. There are some great gems in this document. Mission and Values (Word Doc) - This document discusses what the mission and values of Candlewood Middle School are. Again, there is some great information here. PLCs (Word Doc) - We didn’t get a chance to discuss this document, but it includes a lot of great information about PLCs and some great quotes to get people thinking about them. The following are emails that Andy sends out to his staff after each mini-university-course faculty meeting. You can tell that he spends time thinking about what to say to his staff, how to motivate them, and encourage a culture of learning. He pretty much never lets up. An example of a "post-discussion" faculty meeting conversation     Good discussion on objectives yesterday…[refer to the packet from yesterday for other examples] A personal example to help clarify! Faculty Meeting Big Idea For the Year-Staff will understand that standards are not curriculum: curriculum needs to reflect best practice and user needs while also honoring standards. Essential Question-What is understanding? What follows for curriculum and unit writing? Faculty Meeting Instructional Objective-At the end of the meeting, staff will be able to identify the three types of "learning" for their upcoming unit: acquisition, meaning-making, and transfer.   Other example Big Idea: Student should understand that good readers employ specific techniques to help them make meaning of what the text says. Essential Question-What do good readers do, especially when they don’t comprehend a text? Lesson Instructional Objective-Student will be able to use identify the two persuasive techniques the author employs in  _____. Let’s continue the discussion! A reminder…please have a manila folder for each faculty meeting so you can keep the handouts that are given out… Yesterday, there was a packet that we did not have a chance to get to but we will use it in October. To save paper, I do not want to make other copies! Thanks Andy Another example of CC vocabulary for all classes… Good Morning, As I start to look at some of the assessments that faculty members are sending in, I want to encourage everyone to use the verbs we have discussed not only as you ask student questions in class, but how you frame your questions on assessments.   Here are some suggestions: Instead of saying "Which inequality is represented in the graph below," add the word "Evaluate" at the start of the sentence [e.g., "Evaluate which inequality is represented in the graph below, and pick the best response from the choices listed." Instead of saying "Which is the best title for the series of maps at right," add the word "Suggest" [e.g.,  "As you look at the graph to the right, what would you suggest would be the best title from the choices below." In music, tech, art, LOTE, etc, use sentences such as "What conclusion can you draw from the information presented?" "In measures 15-20, cite the key signature and dynamic levels." "Summarize the information regarding the best tool for this particular job and explain why it is the one you would recommend." "Distinguish between the choices below; which country is considered to be the birthplace of the Spanish language."    I encourage everyone to plan your lessons keeping the vocabulary words "upfront and center." (: Andy Cognitive/Conative Per our discussion at the faculty meeting… Whenever you can integrate the cognitive and the conative skills identified below into your unit plans, please do so. In addition to the vocabulary terms we have discussed, these are skills that every teacher can incorporate [where applicable]. Use your creative juices to determine where-in your content area-these would work best. Cognitive skills are traditionally defined as those needed to effectively process information and complete tasks.  Cognitive skills are required for tasks involving retrieval, comprehension, analysis, and utilization of knowledge.  The majority of the practice standard skills from the CCSS are best classified as primarily cognitive in nature. Conative skills are traditionally defined as the skills that allow a person to examine his or her knowledge and emotions in order to choose an appropriate future course of actions.  A useful way to think about conative skills is in terms of interacting with others and controlling oneself. Within the framework, Marzano and Heflebower (2012) identified specific classroom strategies that teachers can employ to teach cognitive and conative skills in their classrooms.  This category included key words and phrases such as: Construct arguments Develop ideas Build on others’ ideas Integrate information Respond to others’ arguments Compare arguments Explain flaws in arguments Decide if arguments make sense Decide if arguments are correct Determine domains to which an argument applies Clarify arguments Improve arguments Draw conclusions Justify conclusions To help teachers address this category of skills, we identified three specific cognitive strategies from the Marzano and Heflebower (2012) framework: Generating conclusions Identifying common logical errors Presenting and supporting claims Another category of practice skills that we identified was perspectives.  This category included key words and phrases such as: Points of view Open-minded Divergent cultures, experiences, and perspectives Varied Backgrounds Collaborate Interact with others Reflect Step back Shift perspective Different approaches To help teachers address these skills, we identified four specific conative strategies from the Marzano and Heflebower (2012) framework: 1. Becoming aware of the power of interpretations 1. Taking various perspectives 1. Interacting responsibly 1. Handling controversy and conflict resolution In effect, we selected specific classroom strategies for each of the categories of practice standard skills that we identified in the CCSS. Cognitive Strategies Teachers can use the following ten strategies in the classroom to embed the cognitive strategies found in the ELA and mathematics practice standards into instruction: 1. General conclusions 2. Identifying common logical errors 3. Presenting and supporting claims 4. Navigating digital sources 5. Problem solving 6. Decision making 7. Experimenting 8. Investigating 9. Identifying basic relationship between ideas 10. Generating and manipulating mental images Andy Visible Learning… Expert teachers can identify the most important ways in which to represent the subject that they teach. In Visible Learning, it was shown that teachers’ subject-matter knowledge had little effect on the quality of student outcomes!  The distinction, however, is less the ‘amount’ of knowledge and less the ‘pedagogical content knowledge’, but more about how teachers see the surface and the deeper understandings of the subjects that they teach, as well as their beliefs about how to teach and understand when students are learning and have learned the subject.  Expert teachers and experienced teachers do not differ in the amount of knowledge that they have about curriculum matters or knowledge about teaching strategies but expert teachers do differ in how they organize and use this content knowledge.  Experts possess knowledge that is more integrated, in that they combine the introduction of new subject knowledge with students’ prior knowledge; they can relate current lesson content to other subjects in the curriculum; and they make lessons uniquely their own by changing, combining, and adding to the lessons according to their student’s needs and their own teaching goals. As a consequence of the way in which they view and organize their approach, expert teachers can quickly recognize sequences of events occurring in the classroom that in some way affect the learning and teaching of a topic.  They can detect and concentrate more on information that has most relevance, they can make better predictions based on their representations about the classroom, and they can identify a greater store of strategies that students might use when solving a particular problem.  They are therefore able to predict and determine the types of error that students might make, and thus they can be much more responsive to students.  This allows expert teachers to build understandings as to the how and why of student success. They are more able to reorganize their problem-solving in light of ongoing classroom activities, they can readily formulate a more extensive range of likely solutions, and they are more able to check and test out their hypotheses or strategies.  They seek negative evidence about their impact (who has not learnt, who is not making progress) in the hurly-burly of the classroom, and use it to make adaptations and to problem-solve. These teachers maintain a passionate belief that students can learn the content and understandings included in the learning intentions of the lesson(s).  This claim about the ability to have a deep understanding of the various relationships also helps to explain why some teachers are often anchored in the details of the classroom, and find it hard to think outside the specifics of their classrooms and students.  Generalization is not always their strength. The results are clear:  expert teachers do differ from experienced teachers - particularly in the degree of challenge that they present to students, and, most critically, in the depth to which students learn to process information.  Students who are taught by expert teachers exhibit an understanding of the concepts targeted in the instruction that is more integrated, more coherent, and at a higher level of abstraction than the understanding achieved by students in classes taught by experienced but not expert, teachers. AndyCheck out this episode!

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey I had the great pleasure of speaking with Fidel Montero, the principal of Alta High School (Twitter) in Sandy, Utah. Fidel is inspiring from the first moment that you speak with him. He is incredibly smart, very caring, and wants students to be the most successful people they can be. Here is his TEDxCSDTeachers talk: Care.  The Doctoral research that Fidel conducted for his degree in urban school management. Parents pick up on who is being supportive, regardless of whether or not they spoke the native language of the parents. The demographic shift that Utah is currently experiencing, and why he wanted to conduct his research in Utah. Specific strategies for engaging and supporting Latino families in your school. Microagression The balance of talking about race when your race is either the same as your demographics or different. How including multicultural families in your school and recognizing their heritage and history actually encourages them to feel more pride in your country. His work with Greta Pruitt in Los Angeles Unified School District to teach parents to work together. His thoughts on School Improvement versus CSIP plans. Thanks for tuning in! Have a Good Life.Check out this episode!

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey I had the great pleasure of speaking with Dr. Fidel Montero, the principal of Alta High School (Twitter) in Sandy, Utah. Fidel is inspiring from the first moment that you speak with him. He is incredibly smart, very caring, and wants students to be the most successful people they can be. Here is his TEDxCSDTeachers talk: Care. This is part two of my interview with him. I hope you enjoy it. We barely scratched the surface of what makes him transformative. How he counsels teachers and puts them in their areas of strength. How he evaluates himself and the initiatives he implements. How he delegates and guides the implementation of his vision. Michael Barber - Deliverology Some missteps the school took as they rolled out some new initiatives. How he responds when people complain about being overworked. How he gets feedback from teachers. What you can do to be a transformative principal. The President’s Club Check out this episode!

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal I had the great pleasure to attend (and present) the UCET (Utah Coalition for Educational Technology) Conference this last Thursday and Friday. While it was a lot of fun, it was also ver powerful and transformative for me. I solidified some educational philosophies and had some time to actually think about what I am doing every day and how I am inspiring (or not) my teachers. George’s keynote was very inspiring, but it was also practical, and I love practical presentations. I loved meeting George after following him for so long. This was a great interview. One thing that was really awesome was that he made me wait a few extra minutes to ensure that he had gone through and read every single tweet about his keynote, and replied to those that he felt needed a response. it was amazing to hear him say three or four times, "Just a minute, I need to get through all these tweets. There were a ton of tweets!"  His keynote called "Innovate! Create! Voice!" and what he was trying to communicate with that. The importance of creating and sharing with others. How he encourages teachers and principals to create and share. What the remix culture is about. Why it is important to focus on what is really helping kids. What it means to be a school teacher. If you don’t know what a hashtag and twitter are, you are illiterate. Why does George believe this? How you can leverage your network to make things happen. Why Twitter is about learning and sharing. How do we do things when our leaders aren’t on board, yet? We need people who are willing to push. The one thing you can do to be a transformative principal. Connected Principals ([#cpchat](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23cpchat)) and how to get in touch with him (follow him on Twitter: @gcourous) Check out this episode!

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of interviewing Tony Sinanis. Little did I know, that he would be named the New York Elementary Principal of the Year! So, I interviewed him before he was famous. Tony Twitter is a great principal and one who is eager to share what he is doing well. He is also incredibly humble and self-aware. I hope you enjoy his interview. I sure learned a lot from him. Here is his BrandED podcast Tony discusses his background and how he is a first-generation college graduate, and not only that, he is working on his PhD and already has two Masters! Tony still keeps in contact with his first year’s class. Wow! Moving into his first school. Tony’s humility recognizing that he wasn’t the right fit for the school. Separating Tony the principal from Tony the Person. Recognizing that his cultural perspectives that were wrong for his school. The difference between white guilt and recognizing differences. Education is more than just the Common Core and High-Stakes Testing. We are disconnected from what the real world is. We try to make kids fit into this little box, totally discongruent to how the world works. He calls himself the Lead Learner, not the principal, because there is a real difference between the two. How Cantiague gives voice to the students. He demonstrates his learning whenever he can. He pushes himself out of his comfort zone as often as he can. The post about the term Lead Learner by Pernille Ripp New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Why are we going to let other people tell our story? What they believe in. Every choice they make is thoughtful. How Tony shares his story daily. Storify - An example of how Tony uses Storify. Cantiague Hashtag Video updates Touchcast app How he shifted brand management from him to the staff and the kids How to make sure the brand experience matches the brand promise. For example, here is an exchange between Tony and someone who knows what his school’s brand promise is: @TonySinanis @mrkempnz I know you do!! :) All groups are equally respected and treated at #Cantiague. — Lisa (@lisaodavis) April 17, 2014 Transparency has changed the relationship between the school and community. PTA meetings have taken a new direction since they are so open. Build it from the inside. Faculty Enhancement opportunities instead of faculty meetings How to be a transformative principal like Tony. It’s not about you! Stay current on research. Don’t take yourself too seriously, but take the work you do seriously. What he has in his office to keep him focused on how to be the best principal he can be. Jericho Schools You have to make sure the brand experience matches brand promise As the principal, you need to be learning the most.New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

  Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal I was super excited to interview Chris Wejr. He is one of those principals that I have been following for a long time and his take on discipline and behavior is inspiring. Moving from a lower SES school to a higher SES school. If kids are driven by rewards, then they are across all areas. It is very easy to go too far with rewards, and focus only on providing rewards for kids to "get us through the day." The problem with determining how to properly implement PBIS. The complexities of correcting a student’s behavior by giving them a reward when they behave correctly. How important it is to have sense of belonging to help students avoid negative behaviors. Strategies to help students who struggle with negative behavior overcome those struggles. It sometimes takes 2 years to get kids to overcome their struggles. How to buy yourself some time to make decisions and help get through the day to make sure you help kids who are struggling. The bouncy ball trick that worked for me every time after I interviewed him. The difference between a program and a system. This is a great interview. Chris is amazing!New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

The ProblemLast Friday we had kindergarten orientation. Last year, we thought it would be fun to take pictures with the school mascot and share them with the families. The only problem is that we didn’t have a way to get the pictures printed and distributed to the families, so we took a bunch of pictures and they sat on the person’s camera and nothing was done. A great gesture, but not helpful in the end. This year, I was tasked with making sure the families got a picture of their student with our mascot. The picture would be on the bottom half of an 8.5x11" piece of paper. On the top of the paper it said, "Future Cougar, Class of 2027" and that was already printed out. So, I needed to get the picture on those papers. The original idea was to print 2 pictures on 8.5x11" paper and then cut them out and tape or paste them on that piece of paper. I knew that we wouldn’t have enough time to cut all those pictures out. The SolutionHere is what I wanted to do:Since the papers were already printed, and just needed the picture, I could print right onto the paper that said "Future Cougar".I created a Word document that had a top margin set to about 6" (which is about how much space the words took up).I would insert all (expected) 70 Kindergartner pictures in the Word document.I would then print them.Here’s the thing, Edit -> Insert Picture -> From File and then navigating to that folder would be really annoying to do 70 times! Another wrench that quickly messed things up is that printing pictures from a camera that takes high resolution pictures takes a long time on our computer, especially if it makes the Word document really big. So, I would also need to reduce the size of the pictures to something much smaller, so they wouldn’t create a bottleneck at the printing process. The Automated SolutionAutomator is an app that comes with every Apple computer, and it automates things you would do on your computer. It is pretty awesome. I already created the Word document. I already had a folder that I would put all the pictures in. I just needed to get them reduced in size and inserted into the Word document. Automator takes care of that for me. Here are the Automator steps:Get Selected Finder Items - This gets the Finder items that are selected in the frontmost finder window. I just selected the photos that I had taken. Scale Images -  I needed the images smaller, but not too small I had to play around with this one, but I got it to work well at about 50% scaling. Move Finder Items - To not confuse myself, I had Automator move the pictures from the folder they were in to a folder in Dropbox called "Print these" which is shared with the office staff, where the pictures were printed. They did quality control and made sure all pictures printed correctly. Insert Content into Word Documents - This is where the magic happens! Automator takes care of the annoying mouse clicks and just inserts the pictures into the document. I chose the bottom of the document, so that they would be in the same order as they were taken.BonusWe took the pictures using the iPad. I had Camera Uploads turned on, so that when we took a picture, it almost instantly went to the camera uploads folder on Dropbox. That got it to my computer quickly. Using Hazel, I created a rule that watched the Camera Uploads folder for new files and moved them to a folder and then ran the Automator workflow on those files. BAM!Dropbox, Automator, and Hazel allowed me to take pictures on my iPad and by the time I got back to my office, they were in a Word document ready to review and print on pre-made stationary!Have a Good Life.

  Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal In this second part of my interview with the amazing Chris Wejr, we go deeper into the ideas of student discipline and learning. We also discuss some other cool things that are happening at his school. Punishment. How to approach it correctly. How do we help students with disabilities. How to deal with parents of victims that are upset that there are not visible consequences for misbehavior. If we don’t teach this child, he will continue doing this. Following up with parents a couple weeks after an incident to ensure it is not still happening. Restorative practices - should be tied to negative behaviors. Finding opportunities for kids to serve others. Be proactive to find opportunities to prevent problems that may arise. FedEx Prep - giving teachers time to be innovative and productive on their own with their own passions. Advice for being a transformative principal. "It comes from the teachers, of course. I can’t transform something in a classroom." Something in his office that motivates him. I asked him to send me the picture of him with the paddle. New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Doug Robertson (Twitter) teaches 3rd grade in Southern Oregon. Here’s his blog or media empire homepage. Youtube Channel Facebook Fan page He is the author of "He’s the Weird Teacher" (paperback) (Kindle edition). I interviewed Doug because I read his book and was really fascinated by it. I have learned that not everyone teaches the same way (DUH!). But, also, our own life experiences have taught us and shaped us into the people we are today. To be a great teacher, you don’t need to be like [Enter Great Teacher’s Name]. Doug and every excellent "popular" or famous or movie teacher have two things in common: A strong desire to be your own person, regardless of the status quo or anybody else’s judgments. A passion to help kids learn. As part of this podcast, I want to start interviewing master teachers who are really great at what they do. I am especially interested in teachers that are great at making their kids enjoy class and learn life lessons, not just making sure they are acing the tests. ;) Notes from my conversation with Doug: He used to teach in Hawaii, so we talked a little about that before the official interview started, but it was fascinating, so I included it. Teaching is a performance art Acting vs. Teaching. Importance of trust in teaching. What happens in my classroom happens because I want it to. To Principals: You hired me to do my job, now let me do it. Chris Hardwick How he takes away the opportunity to make excuses. How swimming helped him learn to stop making excuses. Why you can’t keep complaining without doing something to fix it. It is OK to vent about kids. "But, my kids don’t give me much to complain about." (That is because if they did, he would take responsibility for it!) "My classroom is noisy because it has to be noisy." "My students are weird, what am I doing to make them weird." I give two cents on why I like a noisy cafeteria. Some discussion on the term "digital native". We should call what we do "Practicing Education" just like lawyers practice law and doctors practice medicine. How being a good teacher and establishing the basics allows us to know how we can change things up as we go along. What kind of an environment does Doug need to thrive? Trust! How trusting students is an extension of the trust from administration. Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire by Rafe Esquith How to have your own style. Don’t teach like someone else. Teach like yourself. Some kids don’t respond well to the style of Doug’s teaching. New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

William D. Parker is the principal of Skiatook High School. His web site and Twitter. He has also done some amazing interviews himself. I have learned a ton from reading those, and I am sure you will, as well. Due to technical difficulties, we recorded our phone conversation, so the quality is a little old school. But, I almost felt like a radio DJ with a call-in show. What he learned as the Assistant Principal to the Principal at his school, who recently retired. Bonuses for students who take all the assessments they are required to. What skills he had to learn as an educational leader, that he wasn’t taught in school. Key Responsibilities Areas from Entreleadership tells people who is in charge of what area. Here is his blog post about KRAs. Michael Hyatt leadership podcasts. How he has dealt with student loss. They have tragically had 2 student deaths this year. Excellent and a lot of communication. Be visible. Maintain as much stability as possible. Open to creative and spontaneous. Show appreciation to the kids who are present. Tried to communicate well to media. Allow yourself to grieve. How he knew what the right thing to do was. Be part of a good team. Trust your people. How he has established collaborative culture of trust. Hiring great instructors and compassionate people. Treat teachers how you would want to be treated. Shotgun blast of directives is not effective. Relationships matter. His blog rocks! Give him some more followers on Twitter, because he has great things to say. I have learned so much from Will. New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Curt Rees Twitter is a tech-minded principal at Northern Hills Elementary School in Onalaska, WI. He is also one of the hosts of the Techlandia Podcast, a great education podcast. Experience as a principal and a teacher around the country. Why he has moved around so much. Doctoral Program and how he balances that with being a principal and what he hopes to get out of it. Clay Shirky Cognitive Surplus Every single day I learn something about being a school leader. The 4 C’s: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creativity Ninja video by his kids. (And the Harlem Shake) Technology as a tool that supports the kind of learning we want for our kids. Voxer App. Sharing things a little more privately and allowing for a little more emotion. New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Apple is a technology company that excels at making software that is inspiring and innovative. If any company were able to create something with technology that would be amazing and inspiring, it would be Apple. They just purchased a company called Beats, which makes headphones, speakers, and in just January of this year, released a music steaming service in a field crowded by Pandora, Spotify, iTunes Radio and more. The coverage is mostly about the streaming music service as the reason for the purchase. Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, said, "We get a subscription music service that we believe is the first subscription service that really got it right. They had the insight early on to know how important human curation is. That technology by itself wasn’t enough — that it was the marriage of the two that would really be great and produce a feeling in people that we want to produce." Emphasis added. Apple gets what our current scripted programs, Value-Added Measures, computer programs, focus on big data, and an emphasis on standardized tests doesn't get - it is the human connection that matters. Education is about connecting people. It is not about standards,  racing to the top, international test scores, or high stakes tests. It is about teaching people to be human beings. Furthermore, the Beats Music programming team consists of experts who are dedicated to their craft: "The Beats Music programming team is comprised of qualified music experts with a combined 300+ years of experience representing virtually type and format of music available. Their unique backgrounds are as diverse as their musical tastes—from mainstream music magazines, to specialty music blogs, to radio promotion, label A&R, and much more." Emphasis added. This idea of establishing the human connection with people who have devoted their lives to one thing sure flies in the face of current churn and burn practices and Teach For America cohorts we have now. In education now, experienced teachers are often viewed as old stodgy people who just get in the way and cost too much. Well, Apple just showed that the things we are forcing out of education are still highly valuable by spending 3 Billion dollars on a company to get its human connection and experience. That is 7 times as much as it paid for its largest acquisition previously (NEXT for about $400 million )And that is more than the state of Utah spent on all public education in 2011 (page 4 of this).In education and business we often look to Apple as a case study for creativity, iteration, shipping a product, innovation, and more. It is time we look at it as an example of the importance of human connection and start getting more of that into education. Have a Good Life. 

Sponsor: SaneboxWeb Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey How to manage time on social media with being a principal, doctoral student, etc. How to connect with others. It is about connections that is most beneficial. Connecting with Bill Ferriter and John Pederson It isn’t about the tech itself, it is about the real. Technology just helps you connect with others. What Curt is most proud of that is happening at his school right now. Remodeling his school thanks to a funding referendum his community. Student-produced newscast. (Led by Crystal Brunelle) His school’s Facebook page Going out in the school and snapping pictures. International Happy Day "Wouldn’t this be cool to do?" - said a teacher at his school. People make stuff up on the Internet Humility - Curt is constantly deferring praise to others and deflecting praise and comments to his staff and other people around him. Strengths-Based Leadership Great book! Great leaders need to be excellent listeners. How Curt grew to learn about himself. Evaluating others. Giving feedback that is based on what is seen in other classrooms, rather than, "When I was a teacher…" We have to notice others around us. Spend time to get to know people. Make sure you’re winning hearts and minds before you try to do anything. We aren’t a bunch of independent contractor. Techlandia podcast. And on Twitter - If you listen to this on Sunday, you’ll find something that you can put to use on Monday. How to be a Transformative Principal: Be well read. What motivates him: Nice notes from teachers, parents, students. "You are responsible for the energy you bring into this space." Shoutouts: Bill Ferriter Solution tree Crystal brunelleNew Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Alice Peck, one of the best principals I have ever worked with. You’ll love to get to know her in this episode. How she came to be where she is at. What she noticed coming from Texas to Utah. What she really enjoys about how things have changed since she came to her current position. How she got her staff on board right from the beginning with PBIS. The art program at Oakdale. The process of starting PBIS at her school. Practical advice of how to get things going. How important it is to have the whole staff involved in school-wide initiatives (speaking of PBIS specifically). Why an actual form for Office Discipline Referral form is important. Where to go when processes are established and ready to maintain. Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A PrincipalNew Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal