FOCUS Walkthroughs

We all know that it is critical that we are training our teachers in the latest research based strategies to give them an opportunity to be great for our students. Pouring into a teacher the knowledge required to be successful helps ignite their passion, purpose, and pursuit of excellence. It is a fact that professional development is an important factor in student achievement. They also help improve a teacher's performance levels. Professional development opportunities should be ongoing and aligned with the district's and school's goals. It is important that we invest in our teachers. The investment have a return called student achievement.

So how would you know when your teachers need training? That's easy...visit classrooms and then provide feedback. Daily walkthroughs should be informal and are essential in being able to identify what teachers need to be their best in the classroom. Spend as much time in the classrooms as possible. Start your week with a list of at least 5 classrooms you will visit each day. Walkthroughs should be no longer than 5 minutes. Pick one or two focus areas and only focus on that during your walkthroughs. Your goal is to FOCUS on specific things that teachers can work on each week to become a better version of them.

In one of my PLN groups, I decided to participate in the 500 walkthrough challenge. That's right, complete 500 walkthroughs this year...in 180 days!  I decided to call these FOCUS Walks -nonjudgmental and non-evaluative opportunities for growth. 

Find a few things to focus your walkthrough on.
Observe your focus area of the walkthrough.
Create a list of strengths and weaknesses.
Utilize the students to share what they are learning.
Send the teacher specific feedback on the walkthrough

You can create a Google Form and use Autocrat to create a feedback form, leave a post-note, or leave feedback using your Rocketbook Everlast. Your feedback should be specific and over ways for teachers to grow professionally.

I decided to take our observations and break them down to use for the FOCUS Walks. Each week I will focus on a standard and integrate our district's CCRP to help grow teachers. Using the Google Form, I am able to use Autocrat to create an automatic feedback form to share with teachers.

#500walkthroughs

I am an aspiring educational leader. Please view my Educational Portfolio if you are interested in an innovative instructional leader to lead and inspire, feel free to contact me.

Copyright 2017 Felecia Young
All Rights Reserved

SOAR

“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.”
- Harvey S. Firestone
Let’s face it, great teachers create great students. One of the most important duty we have as as administrator is creating great teachers.
Over the past few weeks I completed my first rounds of observations. I always make sure that I am as detailed as I can be as the observer. If we want our teachers to grow, we must give them the essential tools that they need.
Following observations it’s important we prove them with feedback. Your feedback should be specific and an opportunity to open a powerful dialogue.
I have tried Glow and Grow, SWOT, and other forms of feedback tools. This year I began SOAR (c). SOAR stands for
S - Strengths observed during the observation.
O - Opportunities for Strategies to Use. Instead of discussing negatives, share with teachers ways to grow or provide strategies to use that goes with school goals. This area you can provide books, online PD, webinars, activities, etc.
A - Area of Focus from PDP. Each year teaches write their Professional Development Plans. This is a great area for us to provide support and resources for teachers to accomplish their goals.
R - Recommendatios from Admin is the opportunity for the teacher to discuss ways we can assist them in thei growth.

It’s important that we remember:
“Personal growth and professional development require mostly being treated like an adult, which is pretty much the opposite of what happens in most workplaces. People need to be able to make decisions. To do that effectively, they need information and training in how to use it.”
- Jeffrey Pfeffer

I am an aspiring educational leader. Please view my Educational Portfolio if you are interested in an innovative instructional leader to lead and inspire.

Copyright 2017 Felecia Young
All Rights Reserved

Glitter Trails - Sparkle to Inspire

It's been a while since I have written a post, but I am back. The start of this school year as been overwhelming. During the start of the new year I find myself inspiring others to be their best, encouraging them to keep pushing forward, and motivating them.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” - John Quincy Adams

“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” - Jack Welch

We all have this special magical dust that is ignited by our passion, purpose, and pursuit of excellence. This magical dust creates innovation that sparks excitement in all. My life’s experiences forced me to look at life through rainbow lens. It provided me with an opportunity to not only to make the impossible possible for me, but for those I lead.

It took every success and failure on my journey for me to become the leader I am today. It is this journey that I call my glitter trail. A trail that sparkles and left a little shine...also known to many as inspiration. My passion is inspiring others. It is my purpose, what I was put on this earth to do.

As andministrator I inspire others to be the best version of them, or at least I try to. When you have unleashed the creativity and talent of others and they are able to look through rainbow lenses knowing the impossible is possible...you have inspired them. Through my actions, my daily walk, I leave a little sparkle every I go...it’s called a glitter trail.

Leadership is the ability for others to use your actions to become a better version of themselves. How can you lead genuinely without being an inspiration? Through your leadership, your ability to inspire others is essential to their growth. Staff, students, and parents need to see your failures, because the lesson is in the strength you are using to win. THE FAILURES INSPIRES. It’s okay for them to see you struggle because the lesson in the dedication you used to reach you success. THE STRUGGLE INSPIRES. It’s okay for them to see you make mistakes because the the lesson is in your ability to try again. THE MISTAKES INSPIRES.

As John Quincy Adams states, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”

Your journey and every experience you have along the way creates your sparkle and shine.  Sharing your journey creates the glitter trail people follow to see hope in their own journey. Glitter trails inspires, motivates, and empowers others. So sparkle for your team!

Show your continuous appreciation for the things your team do.

Provide and invest in resources in growing your team.

Accountability

Recognize individual strengths and potentials of each person on your team.

Know your team on a personal level.

Lead by example.

Encourage your team to be take risks without fear.

I love being aN administrator because I have the power to inspire others. The best part of this journey for me is the sparkle. Along the way there will be some ups and downs, but it is important that you are celebrating through the journey to help keep the sparkle.

Copyright 2017 Felecia Young

All Rights Reserved