Did I Leave Too Early?

Photo by Derek Oldfield 7/16/16

Photo by Derek Oldfield 7/16/16

I feel like that photo represents my career right now.  I’m stepping out of the classroom and into school administration.  This passion has been something I’ve invested in heavily over the last couple years.  I feel as if I’m looking back, through the side mirror, at a beautiful sunset!  What lies ahead is a bit dark and my way isn’t nearly as clear as it used to be.  I’m writing this as dusk falls on my time in the classroom.  It’s really bittersweet.  On one hand, I need this.  It’s possible my principal from last year may feel a sense of relief.  I look at nearly every event that occurs during the school day through the lens of a school leader.  The inbox of my principal will be lighter next year as I won’t be there to share my reflections, the questions that resulted in books I read or blog posts shared the night before.  My activity over Twitter, the blog posts and books I read, and the edchats in which I engaged, have had a rather narrow focus lately: school leadership.

On the other hand, as I look back at that beautiful sunset I’m reminded of things that I feel were left unfinished.  I didn’t meet my goal last year for #goodcallshome.  I just spent an hour reviewing student blogs and screencasts they submitted.  I remember embarking on the mission to establish portfolios of learning just two years ago.  That mission is not complete.  Last year I placed an emphasis on asking students to demonstrate learning and understanding at a deeper level.  I told myself that I would no longer tolerate rote memorization and regurgitation of procedures and algorithms as “learning”.  So I spent some time reviewing the assessments I created and the evidence my learners submitted.

Desmaze Example 1

Megan MarbleSlides

Pacman Example 1

Keela Inequality Screencast

I reviewed some of the Kahoots students created, then shared with their class as a means to prepare for upcoming assessments.  Just last week I had an opportunity to share with teachers how I intentionally reach the hearts of my learners during the first week and throughout the rest of the school year.

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I’m worried that my relentless pursuit for the highest quality learning experiences for students may weaken as a result of the limited opportunities school leadership may provide for me to teach.  As a practitioner, I remained in a constant state of improvement.  I spent every ounce of down time seeking after ways to better reach my learners.  I had a 50 minute drive to work every day last year.  I must have listened to hundreds of hours of podcasts, Youtube videos, and audiobooks while on the road.  I pride myself on my instructional knowledge and the art that allowed me to inspire learners to drive their learning and reflect on how they were learning.   Will stepping out of the classroom still provide me with opportunities to unleash experiences on students (teachers) then reflect on how to improve those experiences the next time?  I hope so.  Did I leave the classroom too early?  I hope not.  I invite your feedback, especially from other school leaders.

One thought on “Did I Leave Too Early?

  1. Will you miss the clasroom? Absolutely! However, the principals who have an impact on schools and student learning are those who understand what effective instruction is. It is my opinion that to be an effective school leader, you must have been an effective teacher leader, for how can you appropriately work with teachers if you do not know what effective is?

    http://educationnext.org/school-leaders-matter/

    http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/principal-perspective

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