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Month: May 2017

Student Leadership Roles In The School

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Susan

 

Giving your students leadership roles in your school empowers them.

 

 

If you teach students how to do a job around the school and if you trust that they can do the job, they will amaze you with their competence.

 

They will assume a sense of ownership for that job and they will take great pride in performing their job correctly.

 

There are countless opportunities for students to be leaders in your school.  Depending on what grades you have in your building, you can assign tasks for each grade level or you can just have your senior students take on  leadership roles.

 

That choice is yours.

 

Personally, I like to have every grade in charge of some activity  so that the entire student population has some ownership for a part of life within or around the school.

 

For example,  in an elementary school with grades K – 6 , the jobs could be as follows:

 

Kindergarten   Litter Monitors

  • typically the K’s will not need to be involved until the spring
  • teach them where the litter tools are located
  • make sure you have lots of containers and litter grabbers
  • teach them the safe way to collect litter
  • teach them what to do if they find glass or unsafe items on the playground

 

Grade 1             Litter Monitors

  • at the first of the year, review all the steps listed above for K’s
  • let them know how important this job is for the school

 

Grade 2            Litter Monitors

  • review all the steps listed for K’s
  • remind your grade 3’s they are the  “senior” playground litter controllers
  • have the grade 3’s “train” the K’s in the spring when the K’s are ready

 

Grade 3            Recycling Program Monitors

  • teach the students how to collect all recycling from around the building
  • teach them how to rinse juice boxes
  • teach them how to sort and store recycling materials
  • teach them how to flatten boxes

 

Grade 4            Gym Equipment Monitors

  • teach the students how the gym equipment should be stored
  • teach them the difference between indoor and outdoor equipment
  • establish a schedule if you allow gym equipment to go outside
  • label all equipment and teach the students how to sort and store items
  • teach the students how to inflate gym balls

 

Grade 5            Assembly Set-Up Monitors and Library Monitors

  • teach the students the various  floor plans for assemblies
  • teach the students how to properly set up chairs for staff and parents
  • teach the students how to properly fold and stack the chairs
  • teach the students how to set up the podium, microphones and speakers

 

Grade 6            The list for senior students is far more substantial

Your senior students can help you “run” the school as

Office Monitors

  • teach them your expectations of proper etiquette for the front office
  • have your administrative assistant help train them how to use her area
  • teach the phone monitors how to answer the phones
  • create  a “script”  for the phone monitors to follow when answering the phones
  • teach the students how to use the PA system
  • create a “script” for the students to follow when making PA announcements
  • create a schedule, for the year, for your Office Monitors
  • I liked having the students on for two-week shifts
  • have your grade 6’s train the grade 5’s in June so they are ready for September

 

Morning Announcers

  • create a “script” for the students to follow when they make announcements
  • teach them how to speak when they are using the PA
  • create a schedule, for the year, for your Morning Announcers
  • I liked having the students on for two-week shifts
  • have your grade 6’s help train the grade 5’s,  in June,  so they are ready for September

 

EMCEE’s at Assemblies

  • teach your students how to lead an assembly
  • teach your entire school population how to follow a “quiet signal”
  • teach your MC’s how to use the quiet signal
  • create a “script” for you MC’s to follow
  • teach your MC’s how to properly use the microphone
  • have your MC’s rehearse their parts the day before the assembly with the mic
  • teach your students  proper MC etiquette

 

Technology Experts

  • teach your students how to fix common issues with SMART BOARDS
  • train your students on how to set up the sound system in the gym
  • train your tech monitors how to properly handle/coil all electrical cables
  • teach your monitors how to set up your outdoor sound system
  • teach your keen monitors how to prepare power point presentations
  • once your students know how to prepare powerpoint presentation, have them design presentations for each assembly
  • teach the monitors how to present their power point presentation
  • teach your keeners how to run the projector for assemblies/SMART BOARDS

 

Lighting Experts for Concerts

  • train your lighting crew to use the dimmer board
  • train your lighting crew to work with the concert leader for lighting cues

 

Stage Managers

  • train your stage crew how to set up and take down a portable stage and risers

 

Bulletin  Board Monitors

  • train them how to maintain the hallway bulletin boards

 

Lost and Found Monitors

  • Train them  how to display lost and found items at key times in the year
  • Train them  how to gather up and put away the unclaimed items for charity

 

Give the children the chance to show you how capable they are and they will astound you!

 

Watching my grade 6 students lead an assembly, with over 400 people in attendance,  always made my heart sing.  Those students knew how to garner the attention of everyone, how to open the assembly, lead the assembly and close it.

 

As the school principal, it would have been easy for me to lead all  the assemblies, but why would I do that when my students could benefit from being leaders and could learn public speaking skills?

 

I was always very  proud of my student leaders.  I wanted them to carry that confidence and those leadership skills into middle school and beyond.

 

I believed in them and I saw that they believed in their abilities too!

 

I am certain you have several more to add to my list of possible leadership roles your students can assume in your school.  If so, please add those in your comments below.

 

Thank you for visiting my website.

 

Susan MacNeil

 

 

 

 

Posted in Empowering Your Students, Student Leadership Tagged: leadership, responsibilities, studentsLeave a Comment on Student Leadership Roles In The School

Plan Your Year Ahead

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Susan

Looking at the months of the year, determine what activities or responsibilities you must handle each month.

 

Please note that this list is primarily for an elementary school; however, there are many similarities with middle and high school events.  Pre-planing is critical to your success regardless of whether you are in an elementary, middle or high school.

 

Charting the events helps ensure you do not face unnecessary surprises.  You can build into your plan the more time-consuming activities, such as gathering information for writing Teacher Performance Appraisals and make sure you get that type of commitment underway during the less hectic months.

 

Be sure to share what is coming up each month with your administrative assistant so that she can be prepared and ready to assist in whatever capacity is necessary.  Your administrative assistant can get photocopying done, forms prepared, contacts and reminders taken care of for you.  Working hand in hand with your administrative assistant will make your job immensely more enjoyable and do-able!

 

(Please note that I am referring to capable and efficient administrative assistants.  If you are not in the fortunate position to have a competent administrative assistant, then please note that I will be posting about dealing with  incompetence or dysfunctional people in a future blog.)

 

Below you will find an outline of the events that will require your time and attention.  You will need to add or delete items on this list according to your particular situation.

 

August

Ready for start up

Finalize class lists

Ensure calendar is finalized

 

September

First Day

First Week

First Staff Meeting

First Fire Drill

First Health and Safety Meeting

First Assembly

Set tone and theme

Parent Teacher Conferences

Terry Fox Run

Obstacle Race

 

October

Assembly

Staff Meeting

Health and Safety Meeting

Teacher Observations

Pro D

Halloween

 

November

Assembly

Staff Meting

Health and Safety Meeting

Teacher Observations

Report Card Preparation

 

December

Assembly

Staff Meeting

Health and Safety Meeting

Concert

 

January

Assembly

Staff Meeting

Health and Safety Meeting

Teacher Observations

Parent Teacher Conference

 

February

Assembly

Staff Meeting

Anti-bullying day

Health and Safety Meeting

Pro D Day

 

March

Assembly

Staff Meeting

Health and Safety Meeting

Teacher Observations

Report Cards

 

April

Assembly

Staff Meeting

Health and Safety Meeting

Teacher Observations

Budget Preparations for Next Year

 

May

Assembly

Staff Meeting

Health and Safety Meeting

Create Next Year’s Calendar

Staffing Meeting

Finalize Budget for Next Year

Assign Next Year’s Grades to Teachers

Finalize School Supply Orders

Teacher Observations Wrapped up

Prepare Teacher Performance Reports

 

June

Assembly

Class Placement Meetings

Finalize Teacher Performance Reports

Staff Meeting

Health and Safety Meeting

Organize and Distribute School Supplies

Year End Activities

Report Cards

 

July

Year End Wrap up

Close School for Summer

 

What other activities do you need to add to your calendars?

 

If you need details on any of the individual events listed above, please let me know in the comments and I will elaborate on any of the items.

 

 

Posted in Your School Calendar Tagged: calendar, events, organization, planning, scheduling2 Comments on Plan Your Year Ahead

Distractions, Interruptions, Unpredictable Events

Posted on May 18, 2017 by Susan

 

The demands of the job, the expectations of home life and your physical needs will be pulling at you all day, every day.

 

Instructional staff, support staff, students, parents, school board members, community members, and offsite colleagues will ask you, “Do you have a minute?”

 

Toilets will overflow when the custodian is off duty, students will get sick, the power will go off, an uninvited visitor will appear on your playground, etc.

 

You know that you cannot predict which unexpected things will happen at your school on a day-to-day basis; however, you have control over all that is predictable.

 

How do you maintain a sense of direction and not get caught up in all the unpredictable events?

 

Every unpredictable event has the potential to use up all your time, your attention and your energy.  You can find yourself completely exhausted at the end of the day, yet feel like you did not accomplish anything except put out bush fires all day if the unpredictable events take over.

 

Or, if you happen to be a wanna be fireman, you might actually enjoy all those bush fires.  You might feel that your day was very productive because you squashed all those “pressing” events; however, did you really accomplish anything?  Did you move your school forward?  Did you stay true to your instructional leadership plan?  Or were you just a great “Johnny on the Spot” problem solver?

 

We know distractions can happen in the classroom, on the playground and even during a staff meeting.

 

If a teacher stops teaching and focusses on the inappropriate behaviour in the classroom for too long, the initial lesson gets lost and behaviour management becomes the main focus.

 

We know that if a teacher does not have a clear plan for how he or she is going to deal with behaviour, hours of instructional time can be lost while the teacher focusses on correcting the inappropriate behaviour each time it crops up.

 

The teacher becomes exhausted, frustrated and maybe even hostile with the children.  This can be avoided with proper behavioural intervention planning.

 

Watching a great teacher in action, in the classroom, is the best way to help you remember  how to deal with all the distractions, without losing your sense of direction.

 

Why would I make that statement?

 

Well, because great teachers, despite all the distractions and interruptions, still manage to get the job done!

 

They have  systems, running in the background, to deal with interruptions, behaviour outbursts and unpredictable events.

 

They know that there will always be interruptions, distractions and behaviour problems.  They know they have a job to do.  They stay focussed on their job at hand and have pre-planned for the interruptions.  Because they are driven to “stay the course”, they have taught the children how life will unfold in their classrooms.  Children know the procedures to follow to get things done.  They know the teacher means business and that everyone in the classroom has a job to do.

 

As an administrator, you need to “teach” everyone in your building how you expect life to unfold in your school.  You have to have a very clear picture in your mind of what you want your school to be like.

 

You have to put things in place to deal with interruptions and you need to have everyone in your building understanding that they have a job to do.

 

Everyone in the building has a huge and important role to play in the life of the school.  You need to help them understand their role and empower them to do their job.

 

Have you noticed that your best teachers love their job?  It is not because their job is any easier than anyone else’s.  It is because they have not lost their vision despite all the distractions.

 

How are you spending the time you are given each day of the school year?

 

We each have the same number of minutes in the day.

 

Your school is a large classroom.  Are you “staying the course” or are you a wanna be fireman?

 

Your comments are most welcome.

 

 

 

Posted in Staying Sane Throughout the Chaos Tagged: interruptions, priortize, tasksLeave a Comment on Distractions, Interruptions, Unpredictable Events

Contents

W E L C O M E
Establishing Your School's Identity
Creating A Respectful Environment
Building School Pride
Developing A Strong Team
Staffing

O R G A N I Z E D
Your School Calendar
Know Your Staff
Staff Meetings
Staffing
Floor Plans
Playground
Parking Lot

A S S E M B L I E S
Make It Great
Generate Enthusiasm
Guest Speakers
School Rules and Behaviour Consequences
Discipline and Consequences

C H A L L E N G E S
Why Are Challenges Exciting?
Your Mind Set
What To Expect
Facing The Challenge
Knowing You Are Doing The Right Thing
Dealing With Mental Illness on Staff

E M P O W E R M E N T
Empower Your Staff
Carl Jung's Personality Profile
True Colors
Empower Your Students
Empower Your Parents
Empower Your Community
Teacher Performance Appraisals

TO BE ADDED AS FUTURE BLOGS
Dealing With Adversity
Staying Sane Throughout The Chaos
Resources
TED Talks

Recent Posts

  • Student Leadership Roles In The School
  • Plan Your Year Ahead
  • Distractions, Interruptions, Unpredictable Events

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