Sharing+the+Wisdom


 * What do you know now that you wish you had known when you first started your career? **


 * // The beautiful thing about learning is nobody can take it away from you. //**
 * ~B.B. King **

P You can’t please everyone – ever! Make the best decision you can and let it go.

P The importance of modeling good teaching methods and strategies in leadership. All good teachers are actually modeling good leadership and vice versa.

P I knew a lot about being an administrator but I found out I really didn’t know or understand middle level education.

P The importance of instructional leadership– I could articulate that the role of the principal had transformed from a managerial to an instructional role, but didn’t know what that role specifically entailed.

P It’s all about developing and preserving relationships.

P Take the necessary time to recruit and hire the best teachers.

P Working with kids is easy; working with adults can be very difficult. Life problems are overwhelming and you have to deal with them continually as an administrator.

P A better background in school law and how to deal with the personal issues of the staff.

P I think I would have kept my professional life more contained. I always placed “family first” with my staff but I realize I didn’t really do that myself – I missed too many family dinners and evenings with my children growing up because I felt obligated to my job.

P The management of people is a complex task. People always come first and the treatment of people is paramount to developing lasting and genuine relationships needed to be a successful organization.

P That change is possible. I waited too long before pushing for changes I knew should be made. As a profession we continue to accept the status quo even though we know it is not what it should be. More of us need to be more vocal.

P A time management class would have been helpful. Understanding what is really important --I spent a great deal of time on things that turned out not to be that important in the long run.

P That I can’t do everything by myself. It’s about sharing responsibility and empowering teachers so that collaborative decision making can take place.

** What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given? **

//Our best thoughts come from others.// ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

P Kids certainly need to learn life lessons. They just don’t need to learn them all when they’re 13.

P Don’t forget that the word “minister” is part of the word administrator.

P Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there (Will Rogers).

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Don’t sit on past accomplishments and refuse to grow or change. There is always something that can be done to make things better for your students.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Never send a memo to staff that is negative – do it face-to-face.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Do not use a “shotgun” approach in dealing with staff issues.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Observe what is happening in the school before taking action. Do a lot of listening.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Lead with your heart.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P When it comes to their children, parents are the experts.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P You need to treat every child that walks through your door as if they were your own.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P That the one student that deserves your love the least, needs it the most..

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Develop a network of passionate, committed educators that will help you develop professionally and personally.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Make sure that kids have fun!

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Your worst teacher sets the standard of what is acceptable at the school. Make the tough decisions and remove the ones that do not share the vision for the school.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Stay committed to the profession, thousands of students are depending on you!

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Balance…when at school, put kids first….when at home, put family first.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Be true to yourself even if the person you work for does not share the same belief.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Success is collective, work as a team, failure is a momentary diversion.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Every decision must be made in the best interest of students.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P If you have an idea that will be good for students, try it: don’t let the nay-sayers stop you.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Count to ten before opening your mouth to reply to people who are yelling at you.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P It’s okay to tell a student that you made a mistake and apologize to them; we all make mistakes and students need to know that you are also human.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Be patient

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Perception speaks louder than reality.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Treat every child that walks through your door as if they were your own.


 * What’s the best piece of advice you can give to a colleague starting out in your position? **

//Often, we are too slow to recognize how much and in what ways we can assist each other through sharing such expertise and knowledge.// ~Owen Arthur

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Demonstrate integrity. If you make a mistake, admit it and vow to correct the error so it doesn’t happen again. Don’t insist others do anything that you wouldn’t do yourself.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Do not be afraid to delegate. You simply cannot do everything yourself.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P No matter how much knowledge and preparation you have, you do not know everything. Admit you do not have all the answers, but know who to go to for those answers.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Find a mentor who you can turn to for advice and support, preferably someone outside your district so they can be objective.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Always keep your compass pointed squarely in the direction of the kids’ best interests.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P What you do as a principal will impact every student in your school. It’s an awesome responsibility but a position where you can have a tremendous impact on the future of kids.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Remember what it was like to be a teacher, a student, a parent.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P It's a take off on the old saying, "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." But you can make them thirsty for knowledge and success and to learn new strategies and best practices.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P When taking a new position, do your homework. Research the school and the community it serves.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that every single child is safe, visible, and has an exceptional learning experience every single day in your school. This will mean working harder than anyone else in your building. This is not a field to be entered into lightly.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Always return calls to angry constituents as soon as possible and within the same day. This way, you at least take away their ability to be angry about not returning a call.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Don’t take things personally. Don’t use your last district as an example. Take time to learn the culture of the building. Make decisions that don’t harm people.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Develop a network that will help you develop professionally and personally. Get involved in your state and national professional organizations like NMSA and NASSP.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Take time to build relationships.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Persistence pays off. Work harder than everyone else, play harder than anyone else, and enjoy yourself along the way.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Stay committed to the profession, thousands of students are depending on you!

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Be prepared to spend more time than you think, don’t let personal attacks cloud your judgment, and expect not to have the answers all the time.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P In difficult times hold fast to your core beliefs. That is a way to gain people’s admiration and trust.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Be the best person you know how to be, and stay true to your fundamental beliefs about life, and kids, about middle level education and everything else will fall into place.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Buy comfortable shoes as you will need them for the first year as you need to walk around the school a lot.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Learn to smile and be happy and find time to joke with the kids at lunch and stoin and dance with the kids in dance class.

<span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore; msobidifontweight: bold;">P Remember you are on a journey with no beginning and no end. Learn from your mistakes and embrace them just as you do your successes. There is always “joy” in becoming.


 * What advice do you have for handling conflict and other "messy" situations? **

//Change means movement. Movement means friction. Only in the frictionless vacuum of a nonexistent abstract world can movement or change occur without that abrasive friction of conflict.// ~Saul Alinsky <span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Be honest. Have a hefty “bank account” of deposits with parents, students, staff and the community. Their view of the situation will be through the filter of what they think of you.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Relationships matter. Always view problems for the moral high ground. It is about the students, not the adults in a school.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Bring the parties together and have them voice their opinions and then, like Solomon, make a decision that is right for the time.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Don’t carry grudges, be inclusive, and don’t take sides. Be honest and clear, move on when things have been decided.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Don’t sweat the small stuff because most of it truly “small”.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Be sincere and truthful. Demonstrate integrity.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Stay cool and polite. Often situations can be diffused simply through maintaining the appearance of calm.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Consensus can always be reached. It may not be easy or readily apparent, but it can be reached with patience and effort.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Be calm, in charge, and sensitive. Find the way to make each party feel valued and important. Thank everyone for their time.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Face it immediately – it doesn’t get better over time.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Do the work necessary to be on top of the situation and be strong enough to see it through to the end.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Think, ask, weigh the situation. The more important the issue, the more it calls on the leader to make wise decisions – not just give a knee jerk reaction to a situation.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Do the “right” thing, regardless of personal consequences.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P You have two ears and one mouth. Listen twice as much as you speak. Often the less said the better.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Don’t escalate the situation by what you do or say. Remember, it’s part of the job – what did you think you were getting into?

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Establish a plan for confronting the situation that is something you believe in, keeps students’ best interests in the forefront, is respectfully communicated, and to the best of your ability, maintains the dignity of all those involved.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P You are the role model and have to remain calm when the world is going nuts around you. When appropriate, put time between an incident and follow u– meeting with someone when they are angry usually won’t get you too far. Even a couple of hours can help.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Never issue decisions immediately, take the needed time.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Document thoroughly. It is amazing how many times that you will have to go back and refer to your notes or use the documentation in some way. Ask someone else to sit in on a meeting with disgruntled parents or staff – having another person present protects you from false allegations.

** When you are completely overwhelmed, what do you do to bring yourself back from the brink of insanity? **

//You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.// ~Jon Kahat-Zinn

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P I remind myself that the work is infinite and that any fraction of infinity is still infinity…and so decide what the most important thing in that infinite list is, and do it, realizing I’ll never catch up.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Give myself a time out – walk around the building and interact with kids to refocus. When I get home, take some time to decompress by reading for pleasure, doing puzzles, or playing golf.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Surround myself with people that love me, not the principal. It’s important to have friends and confidents that do not work in education.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Take a dose of kids…play quarterback at recess. I believe in getting back to why I am there…the kids do wonders for my sanity.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Take my wife to lunch, but not in the school cafeteria. Go somewhere to find some humor like a team meeting or the staff room at lunch.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P This rarely happens to me. When it does, it’s because I was trying to multi-task. It helps to stoa minute and force myself to get back on track by tackling one easy task at a time.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Step away from it and go shopping!

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P I don’t feel overwhelmed as a principal. I know it’s a busy job and that’s to be expected.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Take time to reflect. I believe reflective time is incredibly important to personal and professional success.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Take a walk, go teach a class, tell a joke or story and try to be positive.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P I have a life outside of work and have friends who are colleagues that helme when I’m on the brink.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Step away from my desk and interact with kids...they’re the reason I got into this business in the first place. Laugh. Touch base with my family.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Take a walk around the building and visit classrooms.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Visit the classroom of a master teacher.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Remember that taking care of myself is critical to being able to accomplishing all that I want to accomplish here.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Visit a classroom…being where learning is happening gives me a feeling of purpose and a reason for continuing.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P When at school, I interact with students because they bring me the joy when stressed and overwhelmed and provide me with the reinforcement when I ask myself, “Is this worth it?” When not at school, I exercise.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P I try to remember that it always looks better in the morning, then focus and complete one concrete task in order to begin to find my way through what feels like a swamp.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P I visit one of our special needs classrooms. Visiting these students helto keeone grounded in understanding how to not sweat the small stuff.

//Like what you do. If you don’t like it, do something else.// ~Paul Harvey
 * What has been the key to your success as a middle level leader? **

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Hiring great teachers that will do whatever it takes to help students become successful.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Continual professional development…learning from others.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Lots of experience, lots of patience, lots of insight, and a huge heart for middle level students and teachers.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Total commitment to a true middle school and bringing most of the staff into sharing that commitment.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Being able to listen and construct a vision for a school through a collaborative effort of stakeholders and then create an implementation plan that provided teachers the ability to do their jobs of educating students.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P My genuine passion about middle level students and middle level education has been the key to my success. My love for children this age is apparent to the students and their families through my behavior with them. My passion has fueled my desire to learn as much as I can about students this age and the schools that serve them.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Flexibility, drive, loving kids, focus, and the ability to act and think on my feet.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P My passion for student success drives my initiative and my courage to support staff and students to be the best they can possibly be.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Doing what’s right for kids, remembering what it was like to be a teacher, and being a life long learner.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P I love education and all that goes with it – the students, the staff, the parents. I was never happier than when involved with the next generation – they were so fun to be with.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Hard work and dedication along with a love of young adolescents.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P I’ve had the benefit of wonderful mentors and teaching peers who have helped me with whatever success I’ve achieved.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P I can inspire others, I am involved, and I am fair and consistent.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Relying on the positive attitude that I have to bring out the best in people.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Maintaining a sense of humor.

<span style="font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Wingdings 2'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msobidifontfamily: 'Wingdings 2'; msolist: Ignore;">P Relationships, relationships, relationships, etc. Treating people right with the focus on doing what is best for kids.