We Have One Job...... Don't Blow it.

Our job as educators is rather complex. We're asked to fulfill state requirements, meet AYP (adequate yearly progress), handle report cards, find new growth, become data experts, provide interventions, handle parent expectations, help sick kids, encourage students to make connections..... really the list is endless. It's not an easy job, and it's a job that most people who aren't in the education realm would have any real understanding of. That's OK, I'm OK with people not getting "it".

With all of these things though, there is an area that we can't ever lose sight of and it's job  #1.  Our first job always and forever is to build real relationships. To make connections and encourage kids to think, act and behave in a way that their family and community is proud of. It's something I'm so passionate about I often tell our teachers to throw everything else out the proverbial window . That looking at spreadsheets, data and curriculum is second. None of this matters until we've made serious connections. What makes this so hard are the "politics" that get involved with education.  It's big business, with state funding and major corporations placing stake in our students' future. It makes our job even more complicated than it has ever been. It means we as administrators have a job more important than ever.

Don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I have been called on more than one occasion "the data dork" by coworkers. I like data, I think once you consistently and reliably dig into it, our job as educators can be so much easier. I think good reliable data is the difference between finding growth and throwing darts in the dark.

I also believe in coaching, helping teachers do things they weren't comfortable doing a week ago, pushing teachers to dig into and reflect on best practice. Helping their students learn in ways they didn't know possible. I believe in much the same things that most administrators do.

But I also as an administrator feel like I have a duty to "protect my teachers".  And when it comes to all of the politics and expectations; they know my expectation, our buildings expectation is that relationships come first.  It's a fight that I think we as administrators have to be willing to fight. End of story. I hope you'll fight the same fight.