The International Principal

Teachers work hard.  No, they really do.  And, they care!  The walk through that I just did, confirms that. You see, as principal, something I've done every year is walk the halls on the night before the doors open to our students.  It's the only time, all year, that the building is empty and you can truly see all of the hard work that teachers have put in to ensure a great start to the school year.  Personalities are on display and hopes and dreams for the year are visible. This evening, as I popped from one classroom to another, I took notice of the classroom libraries, the little notes left on the desks for when the students arrive, the perfectly crafted message on the the board, and the words of encouragement posted throughout classrooms.  Amazing. This week, teachers have been bouncing between meetings and work in their classrooms.  As an admin team, we worked really hard to strike a balance between the "need to know" information at the start of the year

This summer, I had a number of books on my reading list that I selected in preparation for the upcoming school year.  While in the midst of a few other books, a new release, The 4 O'Clock Faculty: A Rouge Guide to Revolutionizing Professional Development came across my Twitter Feed.  Knowing I wanted fresh ideas for staff meetings, professional development and motivating staff, I immediately purchased it.  Thanks to Amazon, it showed up in my mailbox in just a few days.  Teachers return to campus in just one week and needing inspiration for our upcoming meetings, I put the other books aside and moved this book to the top of my list.  I'm sorry I did.  It wasn't horrible, but I finished the book with very little in terms of ideas and inspiration.  A majority of the tips the author gives for "revolutionizing" professional develop were all tips I've either heard of, or took part in. That being said, there were a few nuggets that I found useful and will consi

The first year of a principalship at a new school can be incredibly challenging.  It is almost as if you are jumping onto a fast-moving train that can't be stopped.  As a principal, I feel an incredible sense of urgency knowing that the work we do in schools can impact students (both in a positive and negative way).  There is no time to stop the train when you are considering the limited amount of time we actually have with students.  Not a minute can be wasted.  I've learned that new principals have to roll up their sleeves and jump right in.  It is our responsibility to simultaneously learn about the school's practices and cultures while looking for opportunities for improvement.  It is a delicate task that can't be taken lightly.  So where do we begin? I've decided to kick off the year by taking the 500 Classroom Challenge proposed by Justin Baeder at The Principal Center .  He firmly believes in the impact principals can make when we root our work in habits t

It has been an amazing start to the school year.  I've been incredibly impressed with the caliber of both the students and staff.  There has been a lot of deliberate work over the last few years in the areas of curriculum planning and development and it shows.  Now, one of the areas I'd like to focus on is how to take this strong foundation and begin to look at it through a lense of innovation.  George Curous, in his book, The Innovator's Mindset , states that innovation comes to fruition when we begin to ask ourselves "what is best for this learner" and begin to question why we do what we do.  Coupled with this idea, I know that the use of technology to enhance instruction can be really powerful, only when we have a strong curriculum in place.  I believe we are there, now it is time to look at next steps. Currently the school has a BYOD program at the middle and high school level, and has a 1:2 model for the use of iPads at the elementary level.  However, in th

The Interview.  This is one of the things that many of my colleagues from the States wanted to know about.  What was it like?  Did I have to fly out to Barcelona for the interview?  Who was on the interview committee?  Depending on the school, I'm sure the answer to these questions are wide and varied, however, I wanted to take a moment to highlight the interview process that I was a part of in hopes that it may help you if you are beginning your search. I first received an e-mail from the human resources office at the school in mid-January asking if I'd be interested in interviewing for the position.  In this e-mail they included a detailed school profile and asked me to respond with a few dates/times in which I would be able to connect with the current elementary school principal.  I immediately responded and within about a week, I was speaking with her.  Due to the time difference, I remember waking up at 4:30 in the morning to shower and prep for the 7:00 interview (I'

One of the concerns I had regarding moving overseas was how I would stay up-to-date with current practices and continue to grow professionally.  Gone are the days of driving 30 minutes away to join area educators for a workshop in a hotel banquet hall (you know, the "sit and get" kind).. What can I do while living and working in Barcelona?  Of course, one thing I could do is hop on a plane and go to a regional conference, but that could get quite pricey and who really wants to wait around for those once-a-year gatherings?  I need continuous growth and development!  With that being said, I've recognized the need to up my game in the digital world.  Over the last few years, I've tinkered with Twitter and have sung its praises as a platform for professional development for educators however, given that the Internet is really all I have, I need to make the best of it! This weekend, while scrolling through my Twitter feed, I came across a post about an upcoming virtual c