tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35201804607249607072024-03-11T14:40:10.256-04:00Inside the TrenchesAdam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.comBlogger104125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-37801665264179223472023-01-01T15:50:00.003-05:002023-01-01T15:52:55.227-05:0023 for '23<p>Happy almost 2023! So, for those of you who have followed me for a while, you may remember for many years I did challenges (<a href="http://mrdovico.blogspot.com/2018/12/19-for-19.html" target="_blank">19 for '19</a>, <a href="http://mrdovico.blogspot.com/2017/12/18-for-18.html" target="_blank">18 for '18</a>, <a href="http://mrdovico.blogspot.com/2016/12/17-for-17.html" target="_blank">17 for '17</a>, <a href="http://mrdovico.blogspot.com/2016/01/16-for-16.html" target="_blank">16 for '16</a>, and <a href="http://mrdovico.blogspot.com/2015/01/15-for-15.html" target="_blank">15 for '15</a>) where I offered a list of ideas to try in your classroom or school. After some years off, I am making a return after inspiration over the past five months by hosting an exchange student in my home. </p><p>Through her, I have watched how the wonder and joy of trying new things can bring happiness to someone. It's easy to stay in the same routine day in and day out. It's comfortable. It's easy. But for my family, we have been intentional in living life to the fullest with her here, and I know personally it has been amazing. So for my 23 for '23, I will list 50 things to do (personally and professionally), and my personal goal is to check off at least 23 of them. Are you up for the challenge?</p><p>1. Have a picnic</p><p>2. Visit a museum</p><p>3. Bring a neighbor cookies/treat</p><p>4. Learn a new language</p><p>5. Write a letter to an elected official advocating for something</p><p>6. Attend a college/professional sporting event</p><p>7. Go on a hike</p><p>8. Visit a national monument or site</p><p>9. Read a book from a genre you normally don't read</p><p>10. Write a hand-written letter to someone</p><p>11. Donate old clothes or toys to those in need</p><p>12. Join a new committee at school</p><p>13. Learn how to play a new game</p><p>14. Binge watch a television series</p><p>15. Support a Black owned business in your community</p><p>16. Take a friendcation </p><p>17. Ride a bike </p><p>18. Apply to present at a conference</p><p>19. Post a great teaching idea to social media</p><p>20. Start a passion project</p><p>21. Support LGBTQ+ friendly businesses </p><p>22. Bake a cake from scratch</p><p>23. Get a tattoo </p><p>24. Run a 5k (or more)</p><p>25. Create your own outfit to wear</p><p>26. Go axe throwing</p><p>27. Do yoga or another type of exercise</p><p>28. Go on a double date (or blind date if you are single)</p><p>29. Make homemade sushi</p><p>30. Volunteer at a food bank or shelter</p><p>31. Participate in a charity event</p><p>32. Ride a train</p><p>33. Create a room transformation for your students</p><p>34. Keep a diary or journal </p><p>35. Take a trip to the beach or mountains</p><p>36. Camp out in your living room</p><p>37. Draw, paint, or sculpt something</p><p>38. Create a special birthday celebration for someone</p><p>39. Do a staycation </p><p>40. Host a dinner party</p><p>41. Connect your students to a class in another state or country</p><p>42. Cook or bake something that you've never made</p><p>43. Take a brewery or winery tour/tasting</p><p>44. Take family photos</p><p>45. See a live concert </p><p>46. Go kayaking or rafting</p><p>47. Redesign a room in your house</p><p>48. Have a water balloon fight with your students (be sure the parents)</p><p>49. Do an escape room</p><p>50. Host a foreign exchange student :) </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOIUgCL4IfhiEDHSD9ZiVNgw20f_6SPOrE5jK2wP6gw0ofhGcNIgh9H8xBP38NTq04ja7ZvCQm19L9cEh239qXhTRoub74k5QNARS1VslqiK91qYKPri1stjvP0_E8TyHnOMp9a7KXZ0Kc8LH7eEIiE_Z5DS1T3z5TpBj39q9yeLxTqP8uCGdJOjTTw/s2048/climbing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOIUgCL4IfhiEDHSD9ZiVNgw20f_6SPOrE5jK2wP6gw0ofhGcNIgh9H8xBP38NTq04ja7ZvCQm19L9cEh239qXhTRoub74k5QNARS1VslqiK91qYKPri1stjvP0_E8TyHnOMp9a7KXZ0Kc8LH7eEIiE_Z5DS1T3z5TpBj39q9yeLxTqP8uCGdJOjTTw/s320/climbing.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Good luck! Happy bucket filling!</p><p><br /></p>Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-36784693330962603722022-07-23T09:48:00.005-04:002022-07-23T09:54:32.720-04:00So You Want to be a Presenter? Part 1<p>Over the past dozen years, I have had the opportunity to travel across the country and do something that I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be able to do as an educator: make money presenting and speaking. What started as a part of my job working at the Ron Clark Academy (since professional development is offered weekly to visiting educators), branched off into an amazing ride by delivering presentations, workshops, model lessons, and keynotes at schools, districts, convocations, and conferences. </p><p>Without fail, after any presentation, I will meet someone who asks "How do I get into this?" There are certain people who thrive on stage, and they are hungry to share knowledge, experience, and insight into the profession. If you are reading this and think "this might be me," then here are five tips for getting into the presenting world:</p><p>1) <b>Discover your content</b>: If you're going to present, you need content to present on. Figure out what you are most passionate and informed about. Simultaneously, keep an ear out for topics and areas that educators are interested in at the moment. If you can combine your experiences with topics that are pertinent, it will make you marketable and engage an audience. A few "hot" topics at the moment that I have witnessed: school culture, running small groups (math and reading), technology integration, culturally responsive instruction, science of reading, classroom management, and restorative practices.</p><p>2) <b>Start simple</b>: It can be tempting to want to start speaking in front of hundreds or thousands of people right away. While there are some people who may be ready for that, I suggest starting local. Presenting in front of your own staff or at a local/regional/state conference is a great way to try out your material, learn how to work an audience, and test out timing. Once you gain experience and confidence in your presenting, start applying to national conferences. </p><p>3) <b>Network</b>: When you are at a conference, talk to people. Take pictures. Exchange information. By connecting with people, you are building a network, which could potentially lead to more opportunities to present. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__gAMnJQaZOLYchJsRRnxL3_IQn35juSrBxCDrMTWTTLGlYeDVpIcqTTRnGIPnPmDHjWnZPE0OmfzkT8nmE9uSeOitXJqPA4aPRmbNcbFq_cSBtxLnMECT05YZGCmzoGXOE7BG0jxubLm_QscLyHHZuvUbTp59fAcl37o-KP97-0EZywSFAxcrwU8lg/s640/Adam%20Selfie2%20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg__gAMnJQaZOLYchJsRRnxL3_IQn35juSrBxCDrMTWTTLGlYeDVpIcqTTRnGIPnPmDHjWnZPE0OmfzkT8nmE9uSeOitXJqPA4aPRmbNcbFq_cSBtxLnMECT05YZGCmzoGXOE7BG0jxubLm_QscLyHHZuvUbTp59fAcl37o-KP97-0EZywSFAxcrwU8lg/s320/Adam%20Selfie2%20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>4) <b>Build a brand</b>: Let's say you meet someone and they are interested in bringing you to present, there is a good chance they will Google you. If the only thing that pops up is your picture and bio from your school's webpage, they are not learning much about you. If you are serious about presenting, you need to give people a way to get to know you. Building a brand may include having a professional webpage, social media accounts, or a YouTube channel with clips of you presenting. </p><p>5) <b>Study</b>: As important as it is to have your own style, you can learn a lot about presenting by watching those who excel. When you find presenters who engage you (either in person or on video), study them. Take note of what they do. There are many subtle presenting tricks (as will be discussed in part 2) that you can learn by watching those who are professional speakers. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlgRoKL80K5JXO7qXsIvIhz0VT6BkZ6ohq3-1tbMMMUrXYb1u3SwlkgE5os9Mn4BjqhW691ev3jjemR80YIulPy7uq-0Z5u8ze0QN-FLe0jGSPbKuKCynp3HlZQ8EazoVYPYdFv7isBFhnO_iAGuJZB3xnb0rkxP8H64Ub-6DSthmum4Aa6MDfkCnDA/s1280/Adam2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="1280" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtlgRoKL80K5JXO7qXsIvIhz0VT6BkZ6ohq3-1tbMMMUrXYb1u3SwlkgE5os9Mn4BjqhW691ev3jjemR80YIulPy7uq-0Z5u8ze0QN-FLe0jGSPbKuKCynp3HlZQ8EazoVYPYdFv7isBFhnO_iAGuJZB3xnb0rkxP8H64Ub-6DSthmum4Aa6MDfkCnDA/w320-h214/Adam2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The presenting world can be enthralling and energizing, but it can also be vicious. Thick skin is important to develop. Think of the presentations you've sat through over the years. Did you enjoy each one? Probably not. So it is important to remember that not everyone who listens to you is going to like you. Not everyone is going to agree with you. When you receive survey results back, be reflective, but don't let one negative comment demoralize you - because it can if you let it. Remember that you have been given the stage by someone who believes in you, so believe in yourself.<p></p><p>If this motivated you to think more about the world of presenting, part 2 of this will talk more about the nitty gritty of being up on stage. </p>Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-70561705044215156262022-05-17T20:34:00.002-04:002022-05-17T20:50:04.190-04:00Human BattleshipBack in about 2016, "giant" games were all the rage in classrooms. Giant Jenga, Giant Kerplunk, Giant Checkers, and so on. Traditional games were coming to life in larger sizes, and I got on the bandwagon with a twist on a fun pasttime for one of my student teachers. I was a clinical professor at this time and she was finishing up her student teaching. I asked her if she wanted to go in on a game of Human Battleship with me, and she gladly accepted. <div><br /></div><div>It was a blast to do in her class all those years ago, and for some reason I just hadn't done it since. Until now. As my classrooms at school are reviewing the year's content, I wanted to offer them an alternative way to make review fun. If you're interested in learning how to set up and play, here's how I did it:<div><br /></div><div>1) Went to Lowes Hardware and purchased a blue/green tarp that can be found in the lawn and garden section. I got 10' x 12' for about $15.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) Also bought bright yellow duct tape and painters tape. </div></div><div><br /></div><div>3) Laid out the tarp flat on the ground and taped down a 5 by 5 grid with the yellow duct tape on both sides of the tarp.</div><div><br /></div><div>4) Made "hit" (explosion graphic) and "miss" (a red X graphic) cards that could be used during the game. Laminated them and placed <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Adhesive-Diameter-Waterproof-Suitable-Classroom/dp/B07W77GSG8/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=velcro+dots+with+adhesive&qid=1652736628&sprefix=velcro+dots%2Caps%2C294&sr=8-5" target="_blank">Velcro dots</a> on the back. The other half of the Velcro dot goes inside the 5 by 5 grid you made on the tarp. </div><div><br /></div><div>5) Hang up the tarp in the classroom where this will be played. If your tarp has grommets (eyelets) and you have a drop ceiling, you can open up paper clips and attach it to the cross sections of the ceiling. You may need to get more creative if you have less traditional classroom ceilings or you are not given permission to hang from the ceiling. </div><div><br /></div><div>6) On the floor of the classroom, make a 90" x 90" grid on each side of the tarp using the painter's tape. </div><div><br /></div><div>7) Make four sets of A-E and 1-5 cards. Two sets go on the tarp grid, and two sets go on the floor grid. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>How to play:</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Materials: Dry erase board, marker, and eraser per student; questions to ask students</div><div><br /></div><div>1) Students break into two teams. Depending on how many students, determine how many "ships" you want to have and of how many. For example, if you have 20 students, you would have 10 on each side. From there you need 1 captain, and then the remaining 9 can make one ship of 4, one of three, and one of 2. Alternatively, you can have three ships of 3. It's up to you. </div><div><br /></div><div>2) The "ships" find a place on the floor grid. Be sure they arrange either horizontally or vertically. </div><div><br /></div><div>3) The captain can move around, but must stay within the floor grid.</div><div><br /></div><div>4) Teacher asks a question. Every single student works out the problem.</div><div><br /></div><div>5) After an appropriate amount of time (try to keep it brief), the "human ships" show the captain their dry erase boards. The captain then must decide if their answer is affirmed, or if it may need to be changed. The captain's answer is the only answer that counts for the team.</div><div><br /></div><div>6) If a captain gets the answer correct, they get to "fire" over to the other side by calling out coordinates. If both teams get the question right, both teams get to fire. If the "fire" is a miss, the captain places the miss card onto the tarp grid. If the fire is a hit, they place the hit card on the tarp grid.</div><div>6a) In addition, if there is a hit, the person who was hit switches with the captain and becomes the new captain. The person who was the captain sits down in the spot that was hit. This is so more people get to be the captain. Remember, everyone still participates with each question, even if they are sitting because of a hit.</div><div><br /></div><div>7) The game continues until you run out of time or all ships have been sunk. I would recommend throughout the game marking questions that a large portion of students miss so they can be reviewed afterwards. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's the general overview of how I've played the game. You can, of course, modify to meet your needs, but a few final tips:</div><div><br /></div><div>1) Keep the pace moving. Not everyone needs to finish every problem in order for you to have them show their boards to the captain.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) Make sure students stay in their square. When students start moving around it makes it hard to say hit or miss.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) Only allow the captain to "fire" coordinates and to place the hit and miss cards on the tarp. Otherwise you will have too many hands in the pot, so to speak. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl96jjDfVNP21G2ZrEa_jephai10bhSlRhvyRPBP5M6WHX-TRVJW2swyvD9vIiF4cVaFTex7ne48MgaBeMB4TE0fwGh50VdkNY5IIrvzn3R6R6NySQZD_7tnI-UdpASSZB0pNKAjOqVvQlI5f2dhWLdRFlZ3HgAWD8Gi7nOhCwhxb8QBFa2_v7XrTs2A/s2048/Battleship%201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl96jjDfVNP21G2ZrEa_jephai10bhSlRhvyRPBP5M6WHX-TRVJW2swyvD9vIiF4cVaFTex7ne48MgaBeMB4TE0fwGh50VdkNY5IIrvzn3R6R6NySQZD_7tnI-UdpASSZB0pNKAjOqVvQlI5f2dhWLdRFlZ3HgAWD8Gi7nOhCwhxb8QBFa2_v7XrTs2A/s320/Battleship%201.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOnWrqoChabR4W2lSX4dIyTPgPibwQ6YBFomPM09rcDvtG1zbQw_4E7320unl63PXkt9Btbq_hMr69uLr3eR0PSrrbAZ360kFseW1LZb2fVVyqETzAeTH-MfryO44NP_9faj3911nTCCkEQ60SstRul62dyO65BemOYTvUcf1qR9IJ2-WDx3wisz3Mg/s2048/Battleship%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOnWrqoChabR4W2lSX4dIyTPgPibwQ6YBFomPM09rcDvtG1zbQw_4E7320unl63PXkt9Btbq_hMr69uLr3eR0PSrrbAZ360kFseW1LZb2fVVyqETzAeTH-MfryO44NP_9faj3911nTCCkEQ60SstRul62dyO65BemOYTvUcf1qR9IJ2-WDx3wisz3Mg/s320/Battleship%202.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfoE1MywAiq5jZQ9IEzYwoqZO7GHcHwMJaCVpqMskQf6T827LSXBpZB87PS5n7k4F4PpiFoXOs2qN72EcBi0VQOZWwcZierCX97Z_3706IIAvJFd_ILH_v0aEBsXyfwdIuy1iiIUyP8Plv9I-v20BL0iImkltitGmb773Itnd4Ppcys9bWp8p8iqquw/s2048/Battleship%203.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfoE1MywAiq5jZQ9IEzYwoqZO7GHcHwMJaCVpqMskQf6T827LSXBpZB87PS5n7k4F4PpiFoXOs2qN72EcBi0VQOZWwcZierCX97Z_3706IIAvJFd_ILH_v0aEBsXyfwdIuy1iiIUyP8Plv9I-v20BL0iImkltitGmb773Itnd4Ppcys9bWp8p8iqquw/s320/Battleship%203.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbId6JqHvi0rA1zDNK1Lw99AAnTAlwFIthL32kbkpgQzP8JsXujvRjOlq371cFN6ZNB4f3v5dULDP2QYh7WHlbwTj8EnvXrw7d2IEZRTs6aV5BMNYmTWvoR57OQ44sofV_c-dKAXdnjIwgDQO1alz7aDCHGq232BNhWU5rMdZbRIC-fohKiCW3Y9yeQ/s2048/Battleship%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAbId6JqHvi0rA1zDNK1Lw99AAnTAlwFIthL32kbkpgQzP8JsXujvRjOlq371cFN6ZNB4f3v5dULDP2QYh7WHlbwTj8EnvXrw7d2IEZRTs6aV5BMNYmTWvoR57OQ44sofV_c-dKAXdnjIwgDQO1alz7aDCHGq232BNhWU5rMdZbRIC-fohKiCW3Y9yeQ/s320/Battleship%204.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-68963719278733633672022-04-17T09:43:00.012-04:002022-04-17T09:47:49.311-04:005 Daily Rituals as a Principal<p>There is no silver bullet for how to be an effective principal. If you ask 100 principals what is their strategy in running a school, you'll likely get 100 different answers. Styles vary, but quality doesn't. Be the best principal you know how to be, and then add strategies to your repertoire as you learn from others. For me, my mantra was being pro-active. I wanted to be ahead of the curve at my school, and I used these five daily rituals that I held close to my heart to help reach that goal:</p><p>1) <b>Greet each morning</b>: If you ever needed me in the morning, you would find me at the car rider line greeting students as they walked in. As my safety patrol opened doors, students got out of the car and shook my hand as they walked into the building. It allowed me to quickly assess if there were any students possibly having an off morning and then follow up later. My assistant principal did the same at buses.</p><p>2) <b>Every classroom, every day</b>: I spent the first part of my morning visiting (even if for a few seconds) every classroom. Visibility matters, and students and staff knowing that you are there for them was important to me. It was an easy way to get a pulse for how everyone was doing that day. </p><p>3) <b>Assistant principal check-in</b>: My AP and I checked in with each other at least once (usually way more) daily. This allowed us to discuss any tasks, issues, updates, events, and so on that were happening in the school. Sometimes it was just for a few seconds, sometimes minutes, but it was important to us to be on the same page with everything going on.</p><p>4) <b>Reward the positive</b>: There are no shortage of negative situations that come across your desk. Student behavior can get the best of your day, and before you know it, all you've done is discipline. While I have yet to meet an administrator who learned how to completely eliminate that from their school, I wanted to make sure I took the time to reward the positive behaviors first. If you school has any type of positive reward system (we had Houses and students earned points for them), be on the lookout for the great things going on. I realized that when my mindset was looking for the positive, I did not get as overwhelmed by the negative. </p><p>5) <b>Inbox scan</b>: Before I left for the day, I made sure that I had viewed every email that had come through that day. That doesn't mean I responded or had taken action on them all, but if there was an urgent action or pressing situation, it would not be sitting unaddressed overnight. The rest of them would be fine to take care of later.</p><p>Having these five daily rituals helped me get through the tough days and make most days easier. What are some of your daily rituals as an administrator? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PFdj7f0b0pD5DuBDRuv5JRpmwCClQlz3HsPUSmqYUhFuK5DOaFgehAn16zypoU63i8oJIYQ6EcybV7WLfBIEa6U88nFltFvNaJ8C4xWxQrxapsBj79jkYVsi4Ebm1VHdV84VhMX_nGUo0PBKpTSR2OIkBpbMnQwpYSnM5f8z5G2y7TEKMIu-Y3pdxg/s640/Greet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_PFdj7f0b0pD5DuBDRuv5JRpmwCClQlz3HsPUSmqYUhFuK5DOaFgehAn16zypoU63i8oJIYQ6EcybV7WLfBIEa6U88nFltFvNaJ8C4xWxQrxapsBj79jkYVsi4Ebm1VHdV84VhMX_nGUo0PBKpTSR2OIkBpbMnQwpYSnM5f8z5G2y7TEKMIu-Y3pdxg/w300-h400/Greet.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-81318551005965619942022-02-06T13:31:00.010-05:002022-02-06T14:40:01.133-05:00The Idiots Guide to How Your Kids Are Learning to Read in School<p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Over the course of my first decade or so in education, I admittedly had little knowledge on what was happening with the little friends down the hall from me in the Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade classrooms when it came to reading instruction. I later realized that those primary teachers are building the foundations for reading instruction that would later benefit me as an upper grades reading teacher. </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">For the past decade now, I have had the opportunity to learn, grow, and experience the foundational literacy instruction that once was so foreign to me. I am still learning new elements every day, as my state (North Carolina) has introduced a statewide training for all K-5 teachers on what is called Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling. But what I want to share here is a simple guide for all my friends who are not educators, or not primary teachers, about what your child is learning (or not learning) in K-2 literacy. Hopefully this helps demystify things a bit, but also may help better support your children at home. I am going to approach this from a Q&A format, that way I can add more things later on as people read and discuss this. </span></span></p><p><b style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">What is literacy instruction?</span></b></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"> A lot of things. In the K-2 realm, which is what we are focusing on, it can include skills like holding a book properly, reading left to right, identifying letter names and sounds (including phonics, or the smallest unit of sound in speech), breaking down words into their smallest units of meaning, spelling, rhyming words, consonant blends, vowel teams, vocabulary, listening to stories, identifying text features (e.g. title, author, illustrator. table of contents), writing (which includes things like pencil grips, letter formation, punctuation, forming sentences, writing left to right, etc.), just to name a few!</span></span></p><p><b style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Does my kid have a reading program at their school?</span></b></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">There's a good chance they do. The benefit of having a schoolwide or districtwide reading program is that it can provide consistency and spiraling in literacy instruction over the course of many years. The downside is that an ineffective program or a teacher who is ineffective at differentiating the program for their students may struggle with teaching it, ultimately stunting the reading growth of the child.</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">There are many, many reading programs that all claim to teach students how to read. The way it works is these companies make pitches to schools and school districts to convince them to adapt their program. They will present every bit of "research" that went into their program, which may or may not be based on actual research or science. Eventually, a program director, principal, or decision maker agrees to bring the program to the school. Typically the program will come with some combination of text books, teacher manuals, supplemental readers, and workbooks. This is probably what most parents see from their children and remember from their own childhood. The reality is that when new leadership comes in, oftentimes that means new textbook or program adoptions take place. This ultimately makes fidelity of a program hard to accomplish.</span></span></p><p><b style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">But wait, my child does a bunch of reading on the computer too!</span></b></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Yes, ed-tech companies realized that there is money to be made in the digital world, so your child or your child's teacher may have a subscription to online programs like Reading A-Z, Prodigy, EPIC, Starfall, ABCYa, ReadWorks, Newsela, just to name a few. Some of these programs have been gamified, making them attractive to students. Ultimately, there is likely a healthy mix of core reading instruction that can be done in the classroom, supplemented by these online literacy programs for students. These programs should <u>not</u><i> </i>be used as the primary means of teaching students how to read or relied upon to serve as a core reading program.</span></span></p><p><b style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">So when I was young I remember the blue birds and red robin groups. Do those still exist?</span></b></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">It's a complex answer. Do teachers still pull small groups of students to a table? Yes. Does it mean that there are low readers and the high readers separated into groups? It depends on how you look at it. Most primary teachers do differentiate reading groups based on the need of the students. The best teachers will use data to determine common needs among a small group of students and pull them to focus on that specific skill. These groups <i>should be</i> be fluid, and based on specific need, so a "high reader" may be struggling with a foundational skill, so they can be pulled in a group that day with other students who may or may not be high readers. Ultimately, the effectiveness of a small group will be on the ability of the teacher to reach the students on their areas of need using sound literacy instruction strategies. </span></span></p><p><b style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">I also saw something on Facebook about this argument between science of reading and whole language teaching. Is the beef real?</span></b></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Not really. You know how people like to argue about anything these days. Essentially, there are different opinions (I know, shocking) about the best way to teach reading. As I mentioned above, my state has moved towards the science of reading since it is based in well, science. That's not to say the others are wrong, but there have certainly been holes punched in other previously accepted methods of reading instruction. Instead of me trying to rehash what others have done, here's a nice <a href="https://learningattheprimarypond.com/blog/what-is-the-science-of-reading/" target="_blank">blog</a> about the science of reading if you're interested.</span></span></p><p><b style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">My 5-year old's teacher said that they can read on a 5th grade level. Should they skip grades? </span></b></p><p><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">No. What the teacher may be implying is that your kid has the fluency skills to read the words of a fifth grade text. What they are unlikely to do in 99% of the cases I've seen of this is understand the context and content of the text. For example, if I asked you to read this passage below, I bet you could pretty easily read the words. But would you be able to engage in an interactive conversation about it with others? If the answer is no, then you have realized the difference between a 5 year old reading a 5th grade level passage and fully understanding it.</span></span></p><p data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: ReithSans, Arial, Helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><i style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><span data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10.0" style="box-sizing: inherit;">They took a score of three in the second when Dodds missed a chance to promote a guard stone, and did the same in the fourth to lead 6-3 at the halfway stage. </span>A fluffed take-out shot set up Dodds to clinch three and level the match at 7-7 heading into the last end, but Switzerland took one to seal victory. Earlier, Canada had the final-stone advantage against GB, only for Dodds to punish a mistake and pinch the point that made sure of the win.</span></i></p><p data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: ReithSans, Arial, Helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black; color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">You get the point. And by the way, this is a curling article from the Winter Olympics.</span></p><p data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><b style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">I'm worried my kid is not reading well, but the teacher doesn't seem worried. Should I be worried? I think I should be worried.</span></b></p><p data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">We live in a society obsessed with comparisons, and so if you are talking to your best friend and their kid is reading independently before kindergarten, you may think my kid must be behind. They're not. Don't worry. Every kid picks things up at different rates. Some kids pick up reading at an earlier age. Once your child starts school, you may start seeing reports sent home about their reading levels...</span></span></p><p data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><b style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">What do these reading reports actually mean?</span></b></p><p data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">In some schools, you will have teachers who do what is called progress monitoring, which is literally monitoring the progress of the student's literacy skills. Sometimes this is done on paper and pencil, other times it is electronic or through a software that computes nationally normed percentages. At the end of the day, what you're looking for from data point to data point is growth. For example, if your kindergartener recognized 7 letters in August, 9 in September, 14 in October, they're making progress. Now the conversation you would want to have with the teacher is whether or not the rate of progress is sufficient enough so they do not fall behind later on. If you are concerned about the progress of your child, there are ways to help. </span></span></p><p data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><b style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">So what can I do at home to help support my child?</span></b></p><p data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">First and foremost, have books in the home. There are studies that show even the presence of books in the home increase literacy rates. If you need assistance getting books, ask your child's teacher or school counselor, who is likely to have resources to help obtain books. Next, read to your child each day. Model good reading habits and engage in discourse around what you read. You can also support the more refined literacy instruction in the classroom by practicing letter names and sounds, Once your child becomes comfortable reading independently, have them read to you, or do a shared reading (taking turns). If there is a specific concern or skill that the teacher has shared with you that your child can work on, there are plenty of resources on the internet that can help supplement the need. It may be as simple as flashcards.</span></span></p><p data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><b style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Is that it? That's everything I need to know?</span></b></p><p data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Absolutely not. There are a thousand variables that go into how and when a child learns to read. Far too much to be written in a single blog. Here's my final advice:</span></span></p><p data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><i style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;">Have open and honest lines of communication with your child's teacher. Work with them to support your child's reading progress and build a love for reading in your household. Accept that reading comes in many forms, including comics, graphic novels, and audio books. The foundations of reading are vital to the success of a skilled reader later on, so early exposure to books and literacy skills are a great way to set your child up for a lifetime of reading enjoyment. </span></i></p><p data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><i style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></i></p><p data-reactid=".15rknsn8il6.0.0.0.1.$paragraph-10" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px;"><i style="background-color: black;"></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXRTJF4hy0A9UhPrujAbgUSnLn9w-WBK9s3DoG9c0nDSngy3uZR2eBh7e7sPv6RqAjNC_5t21x-HRVTC9tzS0qmlmXcX_n3hqKHHC3UahJcYUgo6xRcsDRhlrx27clbsg0CD0zEO-PtpW_vBYZvP3AHacpghXzdbpzdlM_FPDiNOvxi6o2vDJWzksC5w=s6000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXRTJF4hy0A9UhPrujAbgUSnLn9w-WBK9s3DoG9c0nDSngy3uZR2eBh7e7sPv6RqAjNC_5t21x-HRVTC9tzS0qmlmXcX_n3hqKHHC3UahJcYUgo6xRcsDRhlrx27clbsg0CD0zEO-PtpW_vBYZvP3AHacpghXzdbpzdlM_FPDiNOvxi6o2vDJWzksC5w=s320" width="320" /></a></i></div><i style="background-color: black;"><br /><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></i><p></p>Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-33607320272359858082021-12-21T17:10:00.004-05:002021-12-22T09:33:28.015-05:00Houses Implementation: Take 2<p>In July 2018, I wrote <a href="https://mrdovico.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-houses-at-moore.html" target="_blank">a blog</a> that featured the House system that I implemented at my previous school. In the original blog, you can find out a bit more about what a House system is, its origins, why it's valuable, and my experiences in helping schools establish them across the country. </p><p>This year (2021), I led the charge in establishing a House system at my new school, in a new district. While there were certainly similarities, many aspects were different, proving that this can look different ways and still be equally impactful. Read below on how we rolled it out:</p><p><b>Planting Seeds:</b></p><p>Starting at this school in August 2020 meant that navigating COVID was the primary focus. Establishing a House system was not on any type of priority list, however, it remained a long-term goal that could have subtle seeds planted along the way. For starters, the term Houses is something well known and widespread, but I had an opportunity for it to be something unique. Our school mascot is the giraffe, and a play on this fascinating animal provided a chance to take the term Houses in a different direction. I researched and found that a group of giraffes is known as a tower, and subsequently a great alternative name for a House. To begin getting this term in the daily vocabulary of my school community, I created a hashtag for our school to use on all social media posts, #TowerAbove, with the play on words bringing various meaning. </p><p>Later in the school year, I welcomed any interested teacher to join me in a "culture" committee where I could build a team to help bring the implementation of this new program to the school. In all, I had 8 volunteer, which gave us a great representation of staff in this planning committee. The committee met throughout the spring to plan out the Tower names, the rollout, earning points, and other details to help make this a successful endeavor.</p><p><b>The Plan</b>:</p><p>Our committee decided upon four Towers, each named after a giraffe subspecies (which by the way there are actually nine in all!): Rothschild, Thornicroft, Masai, and Kordofan. Each had a color and positive character trait to accompany it. We decided that we would "sort" staff prior to returning to school with a balloon popping ceremony along with a special surprise at the end (more on that in a bit). The students would be sorted on the first day of school using Tower colored bandanas inside of to-go boxes out on our field. </p><p>Before the end of the school year, we had a roll out meeting with staff to explain the new concept to kick off the next school year. Details had been thoughtfully considered, though feedback was definitely encouraged. Having the planning committee consist of classroom teachers provided much credibility to the roll out of this and led to very few questions or concerns. Folks were excited! I also shared this roll out with our wonderful PTA, who would be instrumental in the execution of this from a merchandise standpoint. </p><p>Of course, planning this at the end of one school year and introducing it at the start of the next school year meant that there had to be anticipation and an element of mystery built in. So using iMovie on my phone, I made a series of videos that would get my school community excited (and wondering) what was to come. You can watch the first teaser video <a href="https://fb.watch/a1_eh0jLs7/" target="_blank">here</a>. And then another one <a href="https://fb.watch/a1_qTICmj_/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><b>The Execution</b>:</p><p>The first order of business was sorting the staff on a teacher workday to start the year. The plan was to place numbers 1-4 inside of black balloons with staff member names on the balloons (teachers were strategically sorted ahead of time to help ensure equity in Tower distribution). We would go outside to the field, release everyone, they would find their balloon, pop it, and then go to the table that had their corresponding number. From there, once everyone was sorted at a table, they would release the magical sorting surprise! I ordered "smoke grenades" ... kind of like you see at baby reveal parties. Each of the grenades would be in the colored smoke of the Tower. I also found a person who does drone videography and would record it all for me! Everything was flawless on paper. </p><p>When we went outside and released the balloons, the balloons were inflated so much that several began popping on the blades of grass. We recovered enough of them and luckily I had a sheet with me to tell people what table to go to in case their balloon popped. So we eventually got everyone sorted, and it was time to pull the release on the smoke grenade! It was a beautiful sight as three of the four grenades released perfect clouds of smoke. Unfortunately, the purple Tower (my Tower) had a dud grenade and no smoke released. We used our deductive reasoning, however, to determine our Tower color. You can see the video <a href="https://fb.watch/a1_t-QC19H/">here</a>. </p><p>Staff was now sorted and so attention was turned to the first day of school! My lovely PTA assisted in stuffing the boxes with the bandanas and I had volunteers from a local university the first day of school come out and help put equal amount of boxes for each Tower in each homeroom. For example, if a homeroom had 20 students, they would have five boxes of each of the Towers in their pile. When classes came outside that morning, each teacher found their sign, stood around the boxes, and when I said "go" they each selected a box and opened it. Once they had their bandana, they went over to the table with a table cloth that matched the bandana. After everyone was sorted into their Tower, we had our first competition of the year using a hula hoop race. I also invited parents to witness this and had PTA set up their merchandise table so parents could buy shirts immediately after their child was sorted. You can see the sorting <a href="https://fb.watch/a1-0M1JLX-/" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>I made a recap video on all of the action that had happened to sort the staff and students for parents and the community to see. You can see that <a href="https://fb.watch/a1-dO2tkSK/">here</a>. </p><p><b>The Day to Day</b>:</p><p>The sorting provided plenty of excitement and buy-in, but that can be short lived if there is not a clear plan in place for how to sustain the excitement. Over the course of the first weeks of school, we would come on the morning news and give little tidbits about Towers, we would update the leader board on our television each day, I would praise classrooms that were giving points, and we had our first Wheel Spin! The Wheel Spin is something that provides a weekly reminder to everyone that Towers is always there. I purchased the physical wheel off of Amazon and had my talented friend Katie Mense create the wedge inserts inside of them. The actual game play of the wheel is a bit complicated, so that may need to be in a separate post. You can see video of our first wheel spin <a href="https://fb.watch/a1-tI_D2cH/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Things were going as I expected in the early weeks of Towers. Generally, those who were in it from the beginning were all in. We had some staff who were eager, but not exactly sure how to participate yet, and then a small few who were just on the outside looking in. It was a typical rollout of a new program. I believe this all changed in week 3 of the year during the Friday wheel spin. By some stroke of luck, one of the spinners that week managed to make her way down to the final row, where the spinner has the ability to earn 100 points, something that I had only seen happen a few times in the decade plus of seeing wheel spins at various schools. Long story short, she got the 100 points, and the energy of this one event turned on even the most skeptical of folks to the excitement that Towers can bring. You can see it happen <a href="https://fb.watch/a1-U_tqChV/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>Since then, and now to the winter break as I write this, Towers has grown each day. We have bi-monthly Tower meetings or events, Tower competitions, and Tower Tuesday where the kids wear their Tower colors. Parents come up to me all the time to tell me how much their kids love Towers. Teachers have incorporated it into their daily instruction and classroom management. </p><p>One of the most unique features of this implementation of Houses/Towers that I had never done before is our deliberate inclusion of a service learning component. Thanks to one of my committee members, she had the idea of embedding service learning into our Tower program. We decided upon "waste" as our yearlong theme, with quarterly themes of food waste, paper waste, plastic waste, and water waste leading our activities. This has led to community partnerships, including a local farm, the city recycling center, and local artists. </p><p>Leadership opportunities have also risen from our Towers program. We held elections for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Tower leaders. We also have done a book buddy program, where older students are matched up with younger students in their Tower to buddy read. </p><p><b>Summary</b>:</p><p>I have witnessed so many iterations of Houses over the years at schools across the country. The words of advice that I always offer schools is to make it work for you. There is no one right way to do it. But I do have a few pieces of advice for it to be successful:</p><p>1) Have a plan and be transparent. Flying by the seat of your pants causes more questions and anxiety from those who you need support from most.</p><p>2) Be flexible. Not everything will work great or according to plan (see Tower reveal from above). Accept failures or bumps in the road and adjust accordingly.</p><p>3) Build a team. No one can do this alone. Find dedicated folks who are willing to take this on with you. Accept that not everyone will jump on right away, and some may never. Keep pushing forward with those who can support the mission. </p><p>4) Have fun! This is something that is supposed to build a positive school culture. Bring innovation in your design of your program!</p><p>Thanks for reading! Feel free to follow me on social media @adamdovico and check out my books: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/When-Kids-Lead-Inspiring-Empowering/dp/195160024X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=EPRMTLWN30DZ&keywords=when+kids+lead&qid=1640123430&sprefix=when+kids+lead%2Caps%2C84&sr=8-1" target="_blank">When Kids Lead</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Limitless-School-Creative-Culture-Puzzle/dp/1946444502/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1DLFG3510T2DD&keywords=the+limitless+school&qid=1640123387&sprefix=the+limitless+school%2Caps%2C165&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Limitless School</a>, and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Trenches-Educators-Guide-Classroom/dp/1499570171/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TIU2WH8KBGMK&keywords=inside+the+trenches+adam+dovico&qid=1640123462&sprefix=inside+the+trenches+adam+dovico%2Caps%2C53&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Inside the Trenches</a> for more tips and strategies for the classroom!</p>Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-84515051910797352552021-11-23T15:34:00.006-05:002021-11-23T15:37:34.061-05:00Teaching LimericksIf you don't laugh, you'll cry. Let's have a few laughs then educator friends. I had some time today and was inspired to write about common teacher-y things that we encounter. Relax, it's not about anyone in particular. Except if it's you. Then it is. <div><br /></div><div>"Stu"</div><div>There once was a student named Stu</div><div>Who quickly came running to you.</div><div>With a funny look on his face</div><div>And not enough space</div><div>He sneezed without a tissue.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Drew"</div><div>There once was a student named Drew</div><div>He had an obsession with eating glue.</div><div>He said it tasted like candy</div><div>Which is perfectly dandy</div><div>Because it kept him from eating his shoe.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Ry"</div><div>There once was a student named Ry</div><div>Who came in with a special look in his eye.</div><div>Your day is in shreds </div><div>Because he hasn't taken his meds</div><div>So it's movie day just to get by.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Ms. Sweeting"</div><div>There once was a teacher named Ms. Sweeting</div><div>She infamously talked at every meeting.</div><div>When we were just to disband</div><div>She would raise her damn hand</div><div>And ask questions that warranted a beating.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Mag"</div><div>There once was a custodian named Mag </div><div>Who got called to change out a trash bag.</div><div>There was vomit covered food </div><div>That had never been chewed</div><div>And she immediately started to gag.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Don"</div><div>There once was a student named Don</div><div>Who had a giant booger on his crayon.</div><div>He opens up wide</div><div>With a smile in his eye</div><div>And now suddenly the booger is gone.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Ms. Beam"</div><div>There once was a teacher named Ms. Beam </div><div>Who was hated to the extreme</div><div>Her crime was ghastly </div><div>When she tried to move fastly</div><div>After she jammed the copy machine!</div><div><br /></div><div>"Mr. Classes"</div><div>There once was a teacher named Mr. Classes</div><div>Who generally moved as fast as molasses</div><div>But when there was free food</div><div>He came unglued</div><div>And pushed through all ya'lls asses.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-78931783989342260132021-10-17T09:34:00.002-04:002021-10-17T12:50:11.935-04:00It's Been a While<p>Where to begin? </p><p>Well for starters, it's been a while since I wrote one of these. 669 days to be precise. I started this blog back in 2012, wrote occasionally on it for a handful of years, and then it became a weekly habit during 2017-2018 as I documented my first year as a principal. </p><p>Lots has changed since then. My family moved to a new city, my wife got a dream job, and a thing called COVID-19 changed the entire world as we know it. I also started a doctoral program in Educational Leadership and took a job as a curriculum facilitator at the school my kids go to. Fortunately, I still have the opportunity to present around the country, and even though the pandemic changed the travel part a bit, I was able to do a number of virtual keynotes and presentations. </p><p>And there's some things that haven't changed at all. I still love bacon, Dr. Pepper, and wearing whacky suits. </p><p>I'm not sure what my goals are for kicking this blog back up again, but I do plan on writing about timely issues and random thoughts as they pop up again. I was inspired to write about a topic recently after a <a href="https://twitter.com/adamdovico/status/1442586753181704197?s=20" target="_blank">Tweet</a> I posted surrounding school leaders trying to make everyone happy and that is not what is best for kids. It is worth a deeper explanation, so here it goes:</p><p>First, that Tweet was self-inspired. I like making people happy. I try my best to appease others, especially when it is for someone I care about. I have always had a hard time saying "no" and to some extent that was a personal challenge entering my first year as a principal. The first thing you realize as a school leader is that adults are simply different to work with in comparison to kids. Adults come with more experiences, baggage, responsibilities, and opinions than children, and that inherently makes them more complex. </p><p>As a principal, I learned quickly that when a teacher "wanted to talk" there was usually something wrong or there was a need involved. That's not a bad thing, but it is something that school leaders must be prepared for. I was not at first. I simply assumed that when people came to my office they wanted to just chat, like I did as a classroom teacher. What I realized is that in any given hour, I may receive any number of unrelated inquiries:</p><p>1) "I have a vacation scheduled for next week, I will need to take personal days."</p><p>2) "I found this reading curriculum resource from TpT that I really want to get for my classroom and I was hoping the school could buy it."</p><p>3) "This child will not behave and the parent and I think it would be best for them to be in another class."</p><p>As individuals bring these topics to you, as a leader you have to remember that this is the most important thing to them at that moment. For you, it may be nothing but a blip on a radar in your day, but they do not care about that, so you treat each conversation with respect. Some topics naturally are more urgent than others, but the person who brings you these inquiries wants an answer.</p><p>Going back to the three examples from above, the easy answers to each of those questions would be: </p><p>1) No problem.</p><p>2) Sure.</p><p>3) Okay.</p><p>But when faced with these types of questions, though, what does that say about our commitment to children when we blindly agree to each of these requests without more information? Because here are the deeper questions that could be involved in each of these issues:</p><p>1) Did you follow the school/district policy with requesting personal days off ahead of time for approval so that we can properly prepare for a sub or for coverage?</p><p>2) What is the resource? Does it align to our curriculum and provide grade appropriate content/instruction for the students? How do you plan on using it? </p><p>3) What have you done to build a relationship with the student? Have you worked with administrators or appropriate school personnel to come up with a behavior plan or incentive program? What does your classroom behavior management look like? Who prompted the discussion around changing the classroom between you and the parent? </p><p>Naturally, there are many more questions that can be asked within each of these scenarios, but this is a start. What I am getting at is that it would be the easy road to just "say yes" to each of these, because it is the desired response from the adult inquiring. The underlying question that must be asked though is what is best for children? Back to the scenarios:</p><p>1) If the teacher asked for these personal days just a day or two ahead of time, it is extremely difficult to find a sub in such short notice. The result is that students may need to be dispersed, which overcrowds another classroom, or you pull an assistant, which means that whoever that assistant was supposed to be working with is now not receiving that instruction. Not only that, but this sets a precedence that you do not need to follow protocol for requesting time off.</p><p>2) Do we know if this resource is responsive to the needs of our students? Yes, it may be cute, but does it contain the instructional components that we have asked to contain. If not, our students will be wasting tremendous time learning in a manner that contradicts or creates gaps in our learning sequence. </p><p>3) What does it say to the student when they can misbehave and simply go to another teacher? Does that teach the child (or adult) anything about building relationships? It tells the student that this teacher has given up on them and they are now passed to another teacher. It has also told the parent that if they do not like one teacher, they will now be granted another. Again, not a precedence you want to set.</p><p>As one of my professors once said about all situations that come across your desk, "it's murky". None of these scenarios have a clear cut answer, and "yes" may be the final one, but I encourage school leaders to consider the questions that need to be asked when you come upon the daily inquiries you receive so that we are doing what is best for students. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-15600007464856034452019-12-18T08:00:00.001-05:002019-12-18T08:00:32.193-05:00Morning Tubs: An Explanation<div>
In 2017 I wrote a blog called "<a href="https://mrdovico.blogspot.com/2017/02/rethinking-morning-work.html" target="_blank">Rethinking Morning Work</a>," and it advocated for teachers to rethink how we started our mornings with students. I proposed shifting from traditional morning work (worksheets, problem of the day, etc.) to "Morning Choice," which allowed students the opportunity to collaborate, create, play, problem solve, and capitalize on interests through games, art, STEM, and more. </div>
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The idea became widespread in classrooms across the country and I was proud to have implemented it in my school as a principal, where we showed increases in attendance and decreases in behavior referrals. You can read about the full implementation <a href="https://mrdovico.blogspot.com/2017/09/morning-choice-full-implementation.html" target="_blank">here</a> in this follow up blog. </div>
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As I presented on Morning Choice at conferences, it sparked a tangential conversation with educators, including my dear friend Katie Mense, a kindergarten teacher in southern Illinois. She said that while her school schedule wouldn't be conducive to Morning Choice, a challenge many other educators faced, she believed in the principles of Morning Choice and was able to make something similar work for her students. This is how we started discussing Morning Tubs.</div>
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Morning Tubs followed the same ideological lines as Morning Choice, but included standards-based activities. This small shift allowed her to start the mornings off with her kindergarteners with a way for them to still collaborate, create, and problem solve, but while still addressing grade level content and standards. In addition, her five-year-olds were practicing fundamental social skills: taking turns, winning and losing gracefully, and sharing. </div>
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Katie shared her Morning Tubs program on her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/littlekinderwarriors/" target="_blank">Instagram page</a>, and educators were excited and eager to learn more. The challenge for many, however, was that she was making and finding many of the materials herself, which was time-consuming for teachers to replicate.</div>
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A discussion about this took place over dinner one night, and along with our friends Jose and Shawn, lead to an idea to help educators. What if you were able to get a box in the mail with <i>everything</i> you needed to run Morning Tubs in your classroom? What if all of the materials were printed, sorted, and laminated already? What if you were setting up a program to help with the challenges that teachers face each morning as students arrive? </div>
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It was at that point that we decided to create our first Morning Tub set. It would include ten kindergarten standards-aligned activities (five ELA and five math) with all of the materials included. It also gave ways to differentiate the activities by providing support and enrichment ideas for each activity. For months, our team researched and designed, and finally in December released our <a href="https://onechipedu.com/" target="_blank">Winter Morning Tubs</a>. </div>
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It's been inspirational to see kindergarten teachers make such an impactful change to their classroom by rethinking one of the most traditional routines we have in schools. We challenge you to make that same shift! And if you don't teach kindergarten, we'll be getting to you soon!</div>
Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-71208382404560108862019-11-30T08:59:00.000-05:002019-11-30T09:05:49.809-05:00S.P.E.C.I.A.L.: A Deeper DiveI was recently in a fruitful Twitter thread conversation where the use of acronyms were being discussed, and there was a comment from an individual who said that acronyms are "devices to get students through tests, not to prepare them for anything authentic." The person furthered, "If you understand the principles, you don't need an acronym to recall it."<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">For those who know me, I have quite an affinity for acronyms, so this one kind of hit home.</span><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />
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I replied, "Principles are a goal of any concept, but there is nothing wrong with having strategies for encoding information in your brain. Mnemonic devices such as acronyms can serve as a strong foundation for enhancing learning toward deeper understanding."<br />
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That Twitter conversation, though, made me think more about my use of acronyms and the importance of using them as a platform for deeper teaching and an ultimate goal of (as the Twitter user said) understanding the principles. Because yes, after deep understanding and true learning have taken place, the acronym should no longer be needed.<br />
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For many years, I have used an acronym called S.P.E.C.I.A.L. as a foundation for teaching social skills and making a positive first impression. Classrooms and schools across the country have used this acronym to teach students, and I have conducted trainings and workshops centered around this.<br />
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If you've ever heard me talk about S.P.E.C.I.A.L. in person, you know that I describe this concept in comparison to building a house. You don't build a house starting with the roof. You lay the foundation first, and this is what I refer to S.P.E.C.I.A.L. as. It should be treated as the groundwork for what is a very complex set of principles that go into the art and science of social interactions.<br />
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Because after you lay that foundation, you need to take a deeper dive with students to help them understand that having conversations involves humans, not robots, and therefore, there is not an absolute way of doing it. In addition, it's important to learn cultural competencies and human comfort levels and abilities when interacting, so you can come off as respectful, understanding, and knowledgeable.<br />
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For example, where I teach maintaining eye contact as a part of S.P.E.C.I.A.L., it is also important to teach that in some Native American cultures, looking down is actually a sign of respect. In some Asian countries such as Japan, bowing, not shaking hands, is how you might greet another person. If you meet a non-binary person, you would use a gender neutral honorific (such as Mx) to address them. And if you meet an Orthodox Jew of the opposite sex, you would not extend your hand to shake because it is forbidden for members of the opposite sex to have physical contact.<br />
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These few examples are just a sample of the many customs that we must become more aware of so that we respect other people's beliefs, identities, and cultures. And personally, there's more I am learning every day!<br />
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It's also important to dive deeper into S.P.E.C.I.A.L. to learn how to correspond with others who may not have the same physical abilities as you. What would you do if you met someone who is deaf? Or blind? Or was not born with a right hand? Or was confined to a wheelchair? All of a sudden the "norms" in which S.P.E.C.I.A.L. uses must be adapted and that deeper training comes into play.<br />
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As a principal, I utilized S.P.E.C.I.A.L. as a training guide for my entire school. I had a poster in every classroom and in the hallways. We did schoolwide training and frequent role play scenarios as a school. Teachers also followed up with their own individual refreshers throughout the year and differentiated the delivery to meet their students where they were. We also taught the entire school sign language, so that any student could communicate with our deaf and hard of hearing students. I held deeper dive trainings with my Ambassadors, who were responsible for providing tours of the school and interacting with many different types of people.<br />
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So in closing, I would argue against the statement that acronyms prepare for tests, not anything authentic. I believe that S.P.E.C.I.A.L. is a training tool for something quite authentic in our life. However, I do agree that once one becomes trained and immersed enough with a principle, an acronym would no longer be needed because you now understand the precepts. In the meantime, for you educators, parents, and coaches out there working on building social skills with young students for the first time, don't be afraid to start with a foundation. Even if it's an acronym!<br />
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Shameless plug time: If you're interested in having a <span style="background-color: white; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">S.P.E.C.I.A.L. poster in your classroom or school, I just released the new primary version of it, found <a href="https://www.adamdovico.com/product-page/special-poster-primary-version" target="_blank">here</a>. </span>Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-50529316052875271662019-07-07T10:32:00.003-04:002019-07-07T10:35:41.018-04:00What's NextEver since I shared that I would be moving to Greensboro, NC, the number one question I get is "what's next"? A logical question for sure, and one that I will try to explain below.<br />
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First, a little history leading up to this. For the past 15 years, I have based most of my life decisions on professional opportunities. I have moved to different cities and taken different jobs based on amazing opportunities that have presented themselves. I have no regrets on any of them and I am proud to have been able to work in several sectors of education.<br />
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The one thing I have sacrificed the most, however, is my personal life. My family. My wife has been a trooper as we have moved to different places so she can support my dreams, even finding ways to make her dreams work within that. I have two children as well who have never gotten to play on a sports team or go to an after school activity because mommy and daddy were too busy. <br />
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Flash forward to this year and I had to make a difficult decision to leave a school that I was leading and in love with. I loved the teachers, students, and families at Moore. We did many incredible things in two short years. I think back with only fond memories.<br />
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I decided that it was my chance to support my family as they are now able to fulfill their dreams. My wife landed an amazing job as a pediatrician and my boys will be able to start sports and activities in the fall with me on the sidelines.<br />
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As for me, since many have asked, I'm keeping my options open. I will not be jumping back into a principalship right away. It is a job that requires the right mindset and right now I would not have that. I do plan on occasionally traveling to continue professional development opportunities that I have not had a chance to do as much the past couple years. And, of course, you'll see me at places like Ron Clark Academy, Get Your Teach On, and Get Your Lead On. I will also be working on projects with friends. It is exciting to be able to work on my terms and schedule for a while. I absolutely see myself back in a school in some capacity in the future, but I want to make sure I find the right fit and opportunity.<br />
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I appreciate all of the kind words and thoughts from people over the past month. It's been a blessing knowing that people are out there cheering you on.<br />
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So that may not answer every question about "what's next" but when I figure it out I'll let y'all know :) <br />
<br />Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-85867892850191378382019-05-27T08:45:00.000-04:002019-05-27T08:45:45.484-04:00Ambassador ProgramI recently posted a video with one of my 5th grade Ambassadors doing a Greeter training (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BxgOSZHhsRC/" target="_blank">click link to see the video</a>). This prompted a lot of questions about Ambassadors, Greeters, and how I set this all up. For all those wondering, here you go!<br />
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<span style="color: red;">What are Ambassadors?</span><br />
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Ambassadors are a special group of my 5th graders who are expected to be representatives of my school. They conduct tours for guests, attend community events, attend district recruitment events, and partake in other events that require representation.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">How do you become an Ambassador?</span><br />
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At the end of their 4th grade year, interested students have a week to apply for the position. The application is simple: obtain signatures from their homeroom teacher and three of their specials teachers (art, music, PE, etc.) and write an essay on why they believe they would be a good Ambassador. Based on the completed applications, my leadership team selects the top 15-20 to interview. For their interview, the student meets with my leadership team and is asked a series of questions (e.g. Tell us about your greatest strengths that would make you a good Ambassador. What is your favorite part of Moore and why?). We are not so much concerned about what they say, but how they think quickly on their feet, remain calm under pressure, and speak clearly and fluently. After the sit-down interview, the student does a mock tour down the hallway with members of the leadership team, explaining the school to the best of their ability in a short amount of time. Again, we're not concerned as much about what they say as we are in how they hold themselves, speaking voice, remaining calm, etc. In the end, 6-8 Ambassadors will be chosen.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">How do you train Ambassadors?</span><br />
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Ambassadors begin training at the end of their 4th grade year. They begin learning the way to greet guests, talk about the school, differentiate their conversations depending on who is in the building, and building confidence in their skills. Much of this is modeled at first by the outgoing 5th grade Ambassadors, who also do one-on-one training with the newly inducted Ambassadors. During the summer, I bring in the Ambassador for at least two or three "boot camp" training sessions, where we dig in deeper and begin the real tough training. I admit, I fuss a lot at these sessions because the Ambassadors are the face of the school, and I need to ensure that they are top notch. Once the school year starts, training continues for several weeks with intense scenario role plays. All of the training is based on a system I created called S.P.E.C.I.A.L. You can read more about it <a href="https://www.pdkmembers.org/members_online/publications/archive/pdf/PDK_98_3/55pdk_98_3.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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<span style="color: red;">What are Greeters?</span><br />
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In addition to my Ambassadors, every K-5 classroom in my school has two important jobs: classroom greeter and hallway greeter. The classroom greeter is an assigned classroom job where anytime a person walks into a classroom (administrator, school guest, parent, etc.), that student walks over to that person, shakes their hand, and greets them. The greeting usually goes along the lines of "Good morning, my name is _______. Welcome to Ms. ______'s room. Today we are doing _______. It was nice to meet you." The hallway greeter has the same idea, but is done in the hallway. A pre-assigned student approaches a guest or administrator in the hall, and greets the person. You can see a video about Greeters from a local news station <a href="https://www.wxii12.com/article/power-of-politeness-teaching-kids-to-be-kind-a-top-priority-at-elementary-school/22986808" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<span style="color: red;">What is the secret to successful implementation?</span><br />
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Solid training and constant feedback is necessary in order to make this program successful. If teachers are not bought in and held accountable, and administration is not firmly behind the implementation, then this will not work. It is best when consistent messages and modeling are heard and experienced. <br />
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<span style="color: red;">Need help making this happen?</span><br />
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I am currently booking professional developments for the fall. If you need help bringing this to your school, you can contact me <a href="https://www.adamdovico.com/contact" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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Also, check out Abe Hege and my book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Limitless-School-Creative-Culture-Puzzle/dp/1946444502/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+limitless+school&qid=1558960986&s=gateway&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Limitless School</a>, which is all about building positive school culture. It has an entire chapter on making positive first impressions within your school!<br />
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<br />Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-8904837787748708062019-01-19T08:03:00.000-05:002019-01-19T08:03:01.350-05:00What Keeps Me Up At NightExcitement from an awesome day<br />
Conversations I had to say.<br />
News that elated the entire school<br />
News that simply added fuel.<br />
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An angry moment<br />
A sad encounter<br />
A scary situation<br />
A meaningful dedication.<br />
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The child who just did the unthinkable<br />
Everyone who expects me to be reachable. <br />
Praises from strangers far and wide<br />
Critiques that are painfully justified.<br />
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The teacher who has had enough<br />
The teacher who is merciful and tough. <br />
A wall that separates forty students<br />
You hope both act with deliberate prudence.<br />
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An upcoming meeting<br />
A ceremonious greeting<br />
A lesson to teach<br />
A presentation to preach.<br />
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Social media to manage<br />
An image to uphold<br />
Watching every word<br />
While still finding lines to blur.<br />
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A constant array of echoing voices<br />
Sifting through the limitless choices<br />
Identifying those you trust most<br />
Reflecting on words that keep you engrossed.<br />
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THIS is what keeps me up at night.<br />
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#LimitlessSchool<br />
<br />Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-69344628630666901642018-12-31T07:54:00.000-05:002018-12-31T07:54:40.382-05:0019 for '19 For the past four years I have offered up my New Years Bucket List Challenges (<a href="http://mrdovico.blogspot.com/2017/12/18-for-18.html" target="_blank">18 for '18</a>, <a href="http://mrdovico.blogspot.com/2016/12/17-for-17.html" target="_blank">17 for '17</a>, <a href="http://mrdovico.blogspot.com/2016/01/16-for-16.html" target="_blank">16 for '16</a>, and <a href="http://mrdovico.blogspot.com/2015/01/15-for-15.html" target="_blank">15 for '15</a>). I'll be honest, I'm kind of out of fresh stuff, so I decided to make the 19 for '19 Challenge with a little twist. Simultaneously, I wanted to create something that I could offer my staff as a challenge. So to kill two birds with one stone, I created the <span id="goog_1632531743"></span>19 for '19 Magic Maker Challenge<span id="goog_1632531744"></span>. I have 19 challenges (some are specific to my school, others are more generic) that my staff can complete if they wish to enter the contest!<br />
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Side note: We did a 20-day challenge at my school before winter break and it was a lot of fun. Everyone who finished received a jeans pass and then the names of those who finished went into a drawing for a big prize.<br />
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Below is the 19 for '19 Challenge if you are interested in creating your own version for your school (no I don't have an editable version, sorry). Thank you to my dear friend Katie Mense (@littlekinderwarriors) for making the challenge look good! I hope everyone has a fantastic New Year and 2019!<br />
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<br />Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-84620164371740552892018-12-27T10:57:00.003-05:002018-12-27T11:04:57.690-05:00Break the ScriptWhen you walk into Carley Parker's 2nd grade classroom, your eye is immediately met by a floor-to-ceiling sized sunflower mural that is glistened by the sun when it peeks through the window blinds. The students have a variety of seating options, commonly called flexible seating, from stools to wobble seats to cushioned floor seating. She has a beautiful wooden stage that students use to present upon or gather around during morning meeting. As students come in each morning, they take part in a schoolwide practice called Morning Choice, where puzzles, board games, Legos, and art have replaced morning work and busy sheets. As she starts her instruction, students take a look at the Smartboard to see their small flexible literacy and math groups for the day.<br />
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In August 2017, I began as principal at Moore Magnet Elementary, a Title 1 public school in Winston-Salem, NC with approximately 600 students. As I did my initial walk-through of the school, it resembled many of the previous 200-plus schools I have visited around the country over the past eight years as a professional development trainer and presenter. It was a clean building with experienced teachers and a positive history. Staff and students were kind and it was a place that people spoke positively about.<br />
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But I also saw untapped potential. When I saw a white wall, I pictured color. When I saw rows of desks, I pictured flexible seating. When I saw worksheets, I pictured collaborative work stations.<br />
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As principal, I was not going to settle on being like everyone else. I previously taught at an innovative school in Atlanta called the Ron Clark Academy, a middle-school-meets-Harry Potter-meets-Disney World, where teachers combine rigor and high standards with a loving culture and endless engagement. This "potion" has produced amazing results for over a decade, and I wanted to bring this formula to a public school in North Carolina. <br />
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You see, school is different than when we were there. Higher standards are holding <i>all </i>students and educators more accountable, rapidly evolving technology is forcing educators to learn what students already know, and social media makes us that much more connected (for better or for worse). The need to evolve our classrooms is my non-negotiable, and it was my personal mission as principal to make my school feel like a place where students <i>wanted</i> to come everyday.<br />
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Carley Parker was one of my first teachers to join this movement. She began strategically transforming her classroom throughout the year, and piece by piece she would experiment with new ideas, getting rid of desks for tables, exchanging chairs for stools, putting up projects on DonorsChoose for new technology and materials for her classroom. As my teachers saw her results, they began jumping on as well. Teachers transformed their classrooms and their teaching. We are moving from a fact-regurgitation and skill-and-drill mentality to problem-solving and learning through multiple perspectives. White walls are being replaced by colorful paintings and murals. And teacher-talk time is being evaluated and reassigned to the students.<br />
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Let's be honest, unless you're playing bar trivia, the need to memorize facts is generally unnecessary these days. Siri and Alexa are at our disposal 24/7. What we do need are adults who can collaborate, imagine, trouble-shoot, and create. When our classrooms mimic environments where students have the opportunity to hone these skills, we are aligning our classrooms to the workplaces where students will one day work.<br />
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I see my teachers and my school moving more each day. As a person who likes things done yesterday, it can be hard waiting for change to occur. Even harder can be those people who do not believe that anything needs to be changed to make those changes. My goal then becomes to convince, not convert. While they may never be able to convert their classroom to the place that I believe it could be, I want to convince them that we do have a need to make our classrooms function differently. And belief is half the battle.<br />
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So in 2019, I challenge you to <i>do school differently</i>. Rethink, reimagine, and break the script of how school is done.<br />
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*You can follow Ms. Parker on Instagram at @sunflowers.in.second <br />
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<br />Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-74117887363821584962018-09-03T10:17:00.000-04:002018-09-03T10:17:03.208-04:00One Chip<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Math has always been my strength. I understand concepts and
catch onto new ones quickly. It could be baffling, then, that my favorite game
when I am in Las Vegas is roulette. For those unfamiliar, roulette involves a
wheel with numbers equally spaced around it. As the player, you place chips
down on a mat that has corresponding numbers to the wheel, hoping that a ball
spun on the wheel lands on your number.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mathematically, it is a tough game to play. The odds of
winning are far lower than most casino games. I have learned various strategies
in the game from observing others. My approach, frequently, is to have a chunk
of go-to numbers that I play, spreading out my chips to try to increase my
chances of winning. I do hit a number usually, but my return is smaller since I
usually only have a dollar chip on the number. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I promise this post is not about gambling! Something
happened over the summer that provided an amazing “a-ha” moment in connection
to teaching. I was presenting in Vegas this summer, and one night some friends
and I went to the casino. I naturally gravitated to the roulette table, and my
friends stood around to observe. I gave the dealer $100 and asked for my $1
chips so I could extend my time and go about my usual strategy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Between spins, a man came over to the table, threw down $100
bill and said to the dealer, “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">One chip</b>.”
He proceeded to put his $100 chip on black, which meant that if the wheel
stopped on a black number he would double his money, and if it did not he would
be out $100. It landed on red. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Afterwards, my friends and I were a bit aghast at this
maneuver and the “all-in” approach in which this man took. Later, I thought
about it more and realized that as educators, we have parallel approaches to
our teaching and schools: 1) the small chunks of deposits that we put into our
students and classroom over time, or 2) the “all-in” strike that can blow the
roof off a place. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the end, we hope for a “payoff,” namely, student
achievement. With the first approach, this usually comes in incremental gains.
Examples of this might be small flexible groups, book studies, debate, Kagan
strategies, or inquiry-based learning. These strategies do not produce instant
results in isolation, but spread out over time, and you can make gains with
consistent use. On the flip side, you have the “all-in” approach, where you are
putting a lot of stake into one focused experience. Examples of this might
include a room transformation, professional development speaker or conference, or
a presentation. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With both approaches, there are naturally going to be pros
and cons. With the first, mistakes usually go unnoticed. If something is going
wrong, it is not hard to make the correction the next day. The downside is that
results take time. With the latter approach, your eggs are in one basket. If it
works, you are a hero, if it fails, you may not get a second chance. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In my opinion, good teaching and leadership involves both of
these approaches. Balance is important and finding strategic ways to pace your
teaching, but also throwing in there occasional “all-in” moments provides
students with consistency and excitement, which is important for maintaining
engagement for teachers and students.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-89609329368176479362018-07-28T19:06:00.003-04:002018-07-28T19:06:57.409-04:00The Houses at Moore One of the most frequent questions I get is how we did our "House System" at Moore Magnet Elementary. Instead of explaining over and over, this blog will give a detailed overview. Context is important, though, so let's start there.<br />
<br />
<b>What is a House System?</b><br />
<br />
Houses are a way to build family within a family. The concept originated, of course, from Harry Potter, and includes students/staff members in different groups/teams who compete for some type of prize or recognition.<br />
<br />
<b>Why is it popular?</b><br />
<br />
By having students/staff in Houses, everyone is included. There's no tryouts or qualifications. People like to feel included, and this system allows individuals to feel a part of something. It is competitive, but in a positive nature; it gives people something to get behind and cheer for.<br />
<br />
<b>How did this get so popular?</b><br />
<br />
As previously mentioned, this all began with Harry Potter, but the <a href="http://www.ronclarkacademy.com/" target="_blank">Ron Clark Academy</a> perfected this system. And as an educator training facility, with over 8,000 educators visiting the school a year, it's been witnessed by tens of thousands of educators and one of the more popular things taken back from the school.<br />
<br />
<b>Why should you listen to me about this?</b><br />
<br />
Having worked at the Ron Clark Academy, and having helped many schools begin and refine their House System (while in the Implementation Specialist role for the Ron Clark Academy), I have seen this system change the cultural landscapes of schools. I know how it works in small and large schools; elementary, middle, and high schools; urban and rural settings; and public and private schools. I consider myself multi-lingual. I know how the system was effective at the Ron Clark Academy, but I also know how to translate it to other settings.<br />
<br />
So with all of this experience and knowledge of the House System, would you believe me if I told you I did NOTHING at my school to put it together? Well, sort of. I'll explain.<br />
<br />
I knew from the second I got my principal job at <a href="https://twitter.com/MooreMagnetES" target="_blank">Moore Magnet Elementary</a> that I wanted to have Houses at my school. I recognized at the same time that if I came in day one and told my staff that we're going to have this thing called Houses, I would get many blank stares and perhaps push back. I have seen Houses come and go like the wind at other schools because there was no context or buy-in from staff.<br />
<br />
To rectify this, I put out a call to my staff to visit the Ron Clark Academy last October. The caveat of attending this professional development, however, was that upon their return they would become the "House Committee," tasked with creating, rolling-out, and maintaining the system.<br />
<br />
The team of seven attended the PD in October, and spent the following month and a half planning out the details of the Houses at Moore. In December, the Houses were rolled-out to the staff. It included each staff member receiving a document answering all of the questions that people would have: What are Houses? Why are we doing this? What will it look like? How do you give points? It also premiered the names, colors, symbols, and crests of our five Houses (Agatohvsdi, Ionracas, Quantum, Huruma, and Sisu). One of my 2nd grade teachers and art teacher also collaborated to create the crests:<br />
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In preparation for the roll-out to the staff, the House Committee blew up black balloons and had the name of each staff member (teacher, assistant, cafeteria worker, custodian, administrator, etc.) on them. Everyone received their balloon and popped it at the same time. Inside the balloon was a piece of paper in one of five House colors to welcome them to their House. The Committee was strategic about dividing up staff so most grade levels, administration, and support staff had at least one person from each House represented. <br />
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Over the next month, the teachers began talking about Houses. They started drawing their House name in their classrooms, wearing House colors, and getting competitive. The idea behind it was to get the kids excited about what was about to come for them!<br />
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How did we decide what House students were in? Good question. Luckily, we had an existing system in our school that allowed us to make it fairly easy to figure out what House students would be in. For decades, our kindergarten classes at my school were designated by colors (blue, purple, yellow, red, and green). So students would be proud to say they were in the "purple kindergarten room," even as 5th graders. Instead of reinventing the wheel, the House Committee decided that any student who had been at our school since kindergarten would be a member of the House that matched the color of their kindergarten room. Students who had not been with us since kindergarten would spin an online wheel that we created to determine their House. In the end, the student and teacher numbers were fairly even. <br />
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On the last day of school before winter break, we gave each student an invitation for January 3, 2018, our first day back to school. The invitation was in the student's House color, to add that first hint of House pride. We welcomed the students back on January 3rd with a House Party, which includes music, strobe lights, dancing, and a complete failed balloon drop! We tried rigging up a balloon drop with plastic sheets across the gym. When we went to drop the balloons, they all fell in one spot and the kids jumped on top of one another to get them. It was like a mosh pit. #Fail<br />
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Outside of that, though, it was a great kick-off! I introduced the Houses to the students, then we broke into Houses and met for the first time. We explained to the students that they would be trying to earn points by showing good behavior, working hard, being kind, etc. We kept all of our points in Class Dojo. We had a master page that every adult in the building had access to. The five Houses were there and you could add points as appropriate. Many teachers also had an individual class Dojo page, and would track overall points during the week there (so it communicated with parents), and then transfer them at the end of the week to the school Dojo page. I did allow teachers to do negative points in their individual class Dojo page, but once they were transferred to the school Dojo page, they were only positive.<br />
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My teachers also discovered an option on Class Dojo where you can add your own graphic for each student, so many put the House crest as the student's picture. You can also group kids within a class, so many teachers created House groups within their class, which made it much easier come the end of the week to know how many points for each House to transfer to the school Dojo page. <br />
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Hundreds of points were added each week, and at our weekly Friday Rally, each staff House leader would announce the student they wanted to represent their House and spin the wheel for extra points. A couple of clarifying terms:<br />
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<b>House Leader</b>: Each House has two staff House leaders. One was a member of the House Committee, the other was not. This gave a balance of perspective when making decisions. We also had each House select 4th and 5th grade House leaders. Their role wasn't as clearly defined as we wanted it to early on, but it may transition into a student government type feel moving forward.<br />
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<b>House Wheel</b>: One of my teacher's husband was kind enough to make us a House Wheel, which serves as a weekly game to earn extra points for their House. My art teacher designed the pieces of the wheel. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bfi1a3-Fygv/?taken-by=mooremagnetelementaryws" target="_blank">Click here to see a picture of our weekly wheel spins.</a><br />
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We also met once a month as a House during our usual Friday Rally time to do team builders, develop chants/cheers, and build House pride. The House Committee was typically in charge of creating and distributing the agendas for these meetings.<br />
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At the end of the year, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjnyga8H-fU/?taken-by=mooremagnetelementaryws" target="_blank">we named our House Champion</a> (the green House, Sisu). The staff members of Sisu were in charge of creating a House celebration. On that day, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjp3eSEnOMS/?taken-by=mooremagnetelementaryws" target="_blank">we had the other four Houses line the hallways of the school and cheer and congratulate Sisu</a> on their victory. From there, Sisu enjoyed a championship party, which included <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bjp61FNHUdg/?taken-by=mooremagnetelementaryws" target="_blank">duct taping me to the wall</a>!<br />
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<b>What's next?</b><br />
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This coming year will continue the foundation of the Houses that we began, but we will also introduce new initiatives and ideas to make the Houses even stronger, like more House competitions and community service. The PTA will be selling House shirts this year. Many students began making their own House shirts, so we are excited about the potential this has as a fundraiser for PTA! We are also going to do direct donation this year for our PTA fundraising, and we will be matching each dollar with a House point!<br />
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We will be fixing a few issues we had with points and adjusting to not having each House represented on each grade level (since teachers have moved grades but remain in their House).<br />
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The greatest (and hardest) thing for me in this entire process is stepping back and letting the committee make the decisions. I believe the success of this program has been the people making the calls. My teachers know our school best, and I trust them to make student-centered decisions.<br />
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The bottom-line with making the House System work in your school, is "make it work for your school." You do not need to copy everything you see at the Ron Clark Academy or what I did at Moore. If your school doesn't buy in, make it work for your classroom. I am blessed to have experienced this fantastic system while working for the Ron Clark Academy, and want to pay it forward now by hopefully inspiring other schools to build a positive school culture by developing your own Houses!<br />
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If you are looking for other school culture ideas, check out Abe Hege and my book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Limitless-School-Creative-Culture-Puzzle/dp/1946444502/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532815426&sr=8-1&keywords=the+limitless+school" target="_blank"><i>The Limitless School</i>, available on Amazon</a>. <br />
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Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-78667594889601810132018-07-16T21:17:00.000-04:002018-07-16T21:17:17.981-04:00The Limitless School: Year One Culture Changes at Moore Magnet<a href="https://twitter.com/adamdovico/status/1018677455362633728" target="_blank">I posted a Tweet last night</a> that listed out a handful of the cultural changes that we implemented at Moore Elementary last year in my first year as principal.<br />
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I was bombarded with comments, messages, and emails afterwards that inquired about the background on many of these changes. So the simplest way to address this would be to get it into a place that everyone could hear the same thing:<br />
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<b>Classroom & Hallway Greeters</b>: Each classroom (Pre-K-5th) is required to have a classroom greeter and hallway greeter, with backup greeters as well. I allow the teacher to decide how they are selected and rotated. I trained every student in my school on my <a href="https://www.pdkmembers.org/members_online/publications/archive/pdf/PDK_98_3/55pdk_98_3.pdf" target="_blank">program called S.P.E.C.I.A.L.</a> I also had my Ambassadors do additional training with them. Greeters job are self-explanatory; when an administrator, guest, parent, etc. enters the classroom, the classroom greeter gets out of their seat, approaches the individual, and provides an appropriate greeting to the person. In the hallway, if the class is walking down the hallway, the hallway greeter (may or may not be the same person as the classroom) steps out of line and does the same thing. We train the students to understand the difference between talking to me (someone they know well) versus a community partner (someone they will need to get to know more).<br />
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<b>Ambassadors</b>: This is an elite group of 5th graders who are the face of my school. I give them weeks of boot camp that involve learning every nook and cranny of the school. I teach them how to greet, give tours, present in front of crowds, and many other things that allow me to trust them to represent the school when I cannot. To become an Ambassador, students must apply, get recommendation signatures, interview, and try out. The Ambassadors must maintain strong academics, behavior, and skills.<br />
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<b>Moore 4</b>: These are four consistent, visible behaviors that we expect to be demonstrated on a consistent basis at all times in our classrooms: 1) Tracking the speaker, 2) Using manners and respect (yes/no ma'am/sir; please/thank you), 3) Using SPECIAL greetings, 4) Standing to respond when it is your turn to speak.<br />
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<b>Painted Halls and Classrooms</b>: Check out my Instagram page (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/adamdovico/" target="_blank">@adamdovico</a>), where you will see many of the painted halls and classrooms that we have done this year at Moore. My staff has taken it upon themselves to paint their rooms, anything from a solid color to elaborate designs and murals. My amazing art teacher has continued throughout the summer to transform our hallways and front lobby. Next year I will be continuing this effort by forming a "paint" committee of parents who can help with this initiative.<br />
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<b>Room Service Cart</b>: My assistant principal and I roll around a black computer cart with snacks, drinks, and candy to classrooms to surprise the staff with treats. We tried to be random about it so it was always a surprise. We did a couple of themed one, including "100 calorie snacks" for the "100th Day of School."<br />
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<b>Community Outreach</b>: I'm very fortunate that my school is in a densely populated part of our city, with hundreds of businesses around us. I spent the first week of my principalship walking around to businesses meeting people, and then invited community members in for our first Community Day at Moore. Throughout the year, we have invited the community into the school to see what we are doing and more importantly, celebrate our scholars.<br />
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<b>Friday Rally</b>: Each Friday, we come together as a school in our gym from 8:45-9:30, where my assistant principal and I lead our Rally. It includes student celebrations, a character education lesson, sign language lessons, House Wheel spins, guest speakers or presentations, and more. I give my teachers extra planning time during Rally, and this coming year we'll be using this time for strategic vertical and team meetings for teachers. Once a month, we use this Rally time for House meetings instead, where each of the five Houses meet to do team builders, challenges, cheers, and more.<br />
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<b>Awesome Office Visits</b>: I wanted the principal's office to be a place where students wanted to go. To change that perception, I began Awesome Office Visits, which allow teachers and staff to recognize students who show achievement in areas such as academics, behavior, character, demonstrating the Moore 4, continual growth, etc. When students bring the form to my office, I sign their referral, the student gets to sign my chalkboard wall, and I make a phone call home to tell their parents the good news. On Friday Rally that week, I call the names of those students who got Awesome Visits. At the end of the quarter, we do a drawing of names for those students who had Awesome Visits to earn a big prize (like a bike).<br />
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<b>Amazing Shake</b>: This was inspired by my time at the Ron Clark Academy, which I was able to help begin many years ago. The competition at Ron Clark Academy has grown to tremendous proportions, and so this year I wanted to start fresh with my school. This was a competition for my 5th graders that challenged their social skills, ability to think quickly, use manners and etiquette, and more. I encourage you to check out the <a href="http://www.ronclarkacademy.com/nationals" target="_blank">National Competition</a> that the Ron Clark Academy holds and consider entering it if you teach grades 5-8.<br />
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This is just a pocket of the cultural changes that we made this year at Moore Elementary, but it has helped grow our school to a place where we are heading to some great things. We are certainly not there yet, but we have a number of the pieces in place to continue to align the pieces to become a Limitless School. I have been able to use my book, The Limitless School, as a handbook for building a positive culture in the school, and encourage you to check it out if you are looking to make those same changes at your school!<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Limitless-School-Creative-Culture-Puzzle/dp/1946444502/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1531789916&sr=8-1&keywords=the+limitless+school" target="_blank">Amazon Link for The Limitless School</a><br />
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<br />Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-62920614799687401442018-06-16T09:52:00.001-04:002018-06-16T09:52:49.342-04:00Inside the Trenches of the Principal: The Final Post11 months.<br />
47 weeks.<br />
334 days.<br />
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Around this time of the year, it's commonplace to be asked "How was your first year as principal?" I feel obligated to reply with a simple answer, like "Good," "Great," "Tiring." And while all of those are true, there's so much more to it. You can't measure the year with a word, or a number, or a caption.<br />
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I am currently reading a book by my favorite authors, Dan and Chip Heath. My introduction to them was their book <i>Made to Stick</i>, and now I am reading <i>The Power of Moments</i>. In a nutshell, it's about how we are so greatly impacted by significant moments in our life. I suppose when I look back on this year, that's what I will ultimately remember. The moments. There were highs and lows, or as they call in the book, peaks and pits. There were also pivotal moments that changed the course of my direction, which they call transitions in the book. Either way, I think this final post for my first year as principal would be best explained by a few of those moments that have stuck with me most:<br />
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1) <i>July 17, 2017</i>: This was my first day on the job. I remember walking into the school for the first time (I had never seen it before getting hired) and the previous principal handing me the keys to the building. It was a surreal moment, but one I will never get out of my head. I was proud, overwhelmed, scared, and exhilarated, perhaps all at the same time.<br />
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2) <i>August 28, 2017</i>: The first day of school. The dreams, the planning, the sweat that went into getting the school together in one month was here. We had a block party to welcome the kids back, and I'll remember the faces of these 560 students who had smiles from ear to ear getting to be welcomed back by music, bubbles, and their teachers.<br />
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3) <i>First sign language</i>: I was doing my daily car rider name calling and I saw my 1st grader Colin, who is deaf. I had just learned "How are you?" and "Have a good afternoon" in sign language and I told him those two phrases. I know it sounds small, but just having him understand what I was saying was a proud moment and I have latched onto sign language since then. I continue to be a student of sign and will hopefully continue to learn more next year.<br />
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4) <i>Morning Choice Bins</i>: In late September we constructed all 31 of our Morning Choice bins. I had promoted Morning Choice so much to other schools and teachers, so now having the chance to do it school wide at Moore was exciting. Seeing those bins lined up across the lobby floor was such a pivotal moment for the shift in our morning routines.<br />
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5) <i>Community Day</i>: I had spent several days over the summer when I got this job walking around the neighborhood, introducing myself to local business people. I invited them to Moore to see inside and meet our students. On Community Day, it was my Ambassadors' first chance at putting into place their training by conducting tours of the school for our guests. It was a proud moment to see my 5th grade team put their skills into action.<br />
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6) <i>Critical Conversation</i>: I will never forget my first "critical conversation" early on in the year with a staff member. It was hard, uncomfortable, and trying. We made it through, however, and it was really encouraging the positive relationship this other person and I have developed since then.<br />
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7) <i>The Amazing Shake</i>: December 1 was our 5th grade Amazing Shake competition! 93 students, 29 judges, and hundreds of interactions between individuals solidified that we were going to teach "soft skills" at Moore and give students opportunities to apply them. The excitement for this competition continued the following week as we had Rounds 2-5 and named a champion. This was all capped off by taking two of my students to the Ron Clark Academy National Amazing Shake Competition.<br />
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8) <i>House Party</i>: January 3rd was our first day back from winter break and we welcomed the students back with our "House Party," which was the official kick-off to our House system. The Houses have become a pivotal piece of Moore and will expand to even greater lengths next year. The students and staff have taken great pride in their House and we were able to crown our first House champion at the end of the year.<br />
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9) <i>Discipline Data</i>: I was heart-broken at the end of the year to find that our final discipline data had not improved to the degree that I had set or had hoped for. As I sat in my office with my assistant principal looking at the data, I just shook my head in disbelief that all of the initiatives and efforts (Awesome Office Visits, House points, Moore 4, engaging teaching, incentives) had not done more to vastly improve our discipline referrals. <br />
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10) <i>My Birthday</i>: I am not one for surprises being done to me, but I got the surprise of a lifetime when my assistant principal arranged for the entire school to go to the gym and surprise me by singing happy birthday.<br />
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11) <i>Book Release Party</i>: Having so many of my staff members and friends there to help celebrate the release of <i>The Limitless School</i> meant a lot, and having the opportunity now to make the book come to life at Moore has been the most rewarding part.<br />
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12) <i>Dance Parties</i>: There have been some fantastic spontaneous dance parties this year. From dancing with Ms. Pratt up on her table to having a dance-off with my first grader N'Kya in the gym before Morning Rally, it was always nice to be able to laugh and dance away with my staff and students. <br />
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13) <i>Professional Development Trips</i>: Having the chance to travel with 25 of my staff members to professional development this year has allowed me to bond more with my staff. There were many funny moments and great stories (and adventures if you were stuck in New Orleans!) that have allowed me to get to know my staff more.<br />
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14) <i>Room Service Cart</i>: Getting to travel around the school with my assistant principal using the Room Service Cart was always a highlight. Seeing the excitement on my teachers' faces when they had that cart enter their room made my day.<br />
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15) <i>Teacher Appreciation Grill Out</i>: On the Friday of Teacher Appreciation Week, I brought my grill from home into school and grilled for about 3 hours for the staff. I have never been so relaxed at school!<br />
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16) <i>Spring Break Painting</i>: We have done our fair share of painting this year at the school, but over spring break I had a group that put in some serious hours to create the first mural at the school in the hallways. It's just so much better than looking at white walls!<br />
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17) <i>Crazy Clothing</i>: My wife is starting to get angry with me because my crazy clothing is starting to take up an entire closet! From fun suits, to costumes that includes bacon, Avengers, and turkey hats, there was never a dull moment when I got to look ridiculous at school.<br />
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18)<i> Special Visitors</i>: It was an honor to host some of my friends from all over the country at Moore, including Michael Bonner, Todd Nesloney, Wade and Hope King, LaNesha Tabb. We also hosted over 300 people on tours, including district folks, educators from my county and others, local business people, perspective families, and community members. <br />
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19) <i>Racing</i>: On April 20th I got invited by my Let Me Run boys running club to race their coach, Neb, and Wake Forest football quarterback (and NFL prospect) John Wolford. Needless to say, I got burned in the race, but it was fun to let my students see me in a different light and trying to relive my track days.<br />
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20)<i> 5th Grade Celebration Surprise</i>: Admittedly, I'm not the most emotional person in the world. One of my students got me though at the 5th grade celebration. As Eliana was making her speech about her memories at Moore, she said she was going to go "off script," at which point she shared some very special words for me. It really made the tough days, long hours, and endless decisions all worth it.<br />
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There were plenty more special moments this year, of course. There were also many other "pits" as well that I am choosing not to dwell on. I've aimed through this blog to share a bit of what it can look like in the principal chair, especially for someone doing it for the first time.<br />
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Year 2, like any job, will inevitably be smoother. I have more awareness of what to expect, how to handle issues, and how to get things done. I've been able to bring on amazing new staff members, who are going to help carry the mission and vision forward. But it will also be more daunting in other ways, as we are digging deeper into rigor and raising expectations even more for students, staff, and myself. The work truly begins in year two I believe, and I feel good about the prospects going into it. Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-8101446695235787682018-06-09T09:02:00.003-04:002018-06-09T09:02:52.102-04:00Inside the Trenches of the Principal: Week 45It was the final full week for my district. We still have Monday for our final day, but all of the major events and celebrations have taken place. Next week will be my final blog for the school year, looking back at the entire year and trying to figure out what in the world just happened over the past 10 months!<br />
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But this past week was a lot of fun. We had our 5th grade celebration, field day, and our first ever House Champion celebration for Sisu. I also did a quick trip to Atlanta to help out at RCA for a day. So all in all, it was a busy, but fun week.<br />
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One of the moments that really stood out to me was on the 3rd-5th grade field day. I allowed my PE teacher to have water events, and as I watched the kids as they got soaked, it was the most innocent and joyous laughter and excitement I have ever seen. Scholars who have been the biggest behavior challenges this year all the way to kids who have been the quietest were all laughing together in this ridiculously fun environment.<br />
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As I watched the fun happening all around me, I could only think that this is what being a youth should be about. Our students are encumbered with high pressure testing, news of violence in our country, being glued to electronics, and so on. It was refreshing to see them simply being kids for a little bit, laughing, and having fun.<br />
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Our first ever House Champion celebration was a success. The Sisu adult leaders did a great job preparing the event and the scholars got to play games, have ice cream, and even duct tape me to a wall! My art teacher (who is in Sisu) also began a new tradition in the hallway, where we now have a "tree of champions." Each year, the winning House will add their thumbprint in their House color on a new branch of the tree.<br />
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As Sisu was coming into the gym for their celebration, I made the entire school line the hallway to cheer them on. I decided to do this because I have not been overly impressed with my scholars' ability to show sportsmanship this year, and if we want to make a change, we need to teach it.<br />
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So at the last Rally I talked about being a good winner and loser. We have to give scholars opportunities to practice this though, which is why I had them line the halls and cheer on Sisu as they entered the gym. I asked the staff to keep an eye on any scholar who was not showing good sportsmanship during their walk to the gym, pull them out of line, send them to the media center, and they had to write me an essay on sportsmanship and why they couldn't handle showing it. We only had a couple who had to do that. Overall, it was a positive and uplifting celebration for the winning House.<br />
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I'm looking forward to year two of the Houses and the many new ideas we've been kicking around for it for next year!<br />
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I got to have one of those "career moments" this past week too. During the 5th grade celebration, we had a handful of 5th grade scholars, who were selected by their peers, make speeches. I've been working for weeks with them on their speeches. They ALL did a wonderful job. The special moment for me came, though, when Eliana towards the end of her speech said "I'm going to go off script." I was sitting in the front row with all of the scripts in my hand so I could help them if they got stuck. At this point, I'm freaking out because we hadn't practiced this. But Eliana went on to thank me for being there for her not just when the good things were happening, but when there were tough times as well. It was one of those moments that makes all of the hard work worth it and it reminds you why you do what you do.<br />
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<br />Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-20328845347914472362018-06-02T11:01:00.001-04:002018-06-02T11:01:30.384-04:00Inside the Trenches of the Principal: Week 44This past week can be easily summed up into one word: TESTING.<br />
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I saw so many emotions from scholars and staff this week:<br />
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<li>Jubilation from the scholar who had to go out on medical leave at the end of last year, began this year repeating the grade, got promoted after the first quarter to the new grade, and scored in the 99% on the reading test! Literally tears of joy were flowing from the teacher and scholar. It was one of the coolest things I've ever witnessed in school.</li>
<li>Despair from teachers who had scholars score far below what they know they can score and what their potential is.</li>
<li>Confusion from scholars who have only been in the United States for three months, know few English words, and were forced to take a test in English that confuses many native-speakers. </li>
<li>Tiredness from scholars who tested for three straight days, some of them taking up to five hours a day meticulously checking over every answer.</li>
<li>Excitement when the testing was finally finished.</li>
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I could not be prouder of my scholars and staff for fighting through these past several days. I was speaking to one of the proctors on Thursday and said that this isn't an academic test, it's an endurance test. Are we trying to determine if students understand the standards or can stay focused and seated for four straight hours?<br />
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Personally, I would much rather see authentic assessments measuring our students' achievement: portfolios, performances, projects. Could our students display their knowledge through different mediums? Could we measure other skills like social and emotional intelligence, creativity, and kindness while we're at it? Frankly, I value those skills far more in the long run than if a kid can divide fractions or tell me the kind of wind to expect from the Gulf of Mexico in July. <br />
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I completely understand that these tests are not going anywhere. We're stuck with them. But I challenge any law-maker, any policy-maker to come spend a day proctoring for these tests. Spend a day at a school when a scholar receives a piece of paper telling them that they are in the 1st percentile in achievement. I want them to see real faces with these numbers. Real teachers who have to explain to their scholar that "This test does not define you."<br />
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Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-32776174382858674582018-05-26T10:13:00.000-04:002018-05-26T10:13:38.634-04:00Inside the Trenches of the Principal: Week 43Our 5th grade promotion ceremony at Moore is coming up, just two weeks away, in fact. I decided that I wanted to give an opportunity for the fifth-grade students to decide who they would want to represent their class up on stage to make a speech during the ceremony. We had a vote and they selected outstanding students who truly represent the character and work-ethic that we promote.<br />
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I met with this group of students this week to begin composing their speeches. I discovered quickly that their memories at Moore and the topics they wanted to write about all had a common theme: people. Not surprisingly, their fondest memories involved a favorite teacher or a group of friends. The remembered both the good and bad moments, but the memories always had those who touched them. Most frequently, it was moments in time that they discussed. "The time that ..." or "I remember when ..."<br />
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Even at a young age, these students are reflecting upon their life through those who impact them. You know what did not show up in any of their speeches? The worksheet that they had to finish or the video that they had to take notes on. It's relationships that mattered most to them. As educators, I think this speaks volumes to what we should be valuing in the classroom. A solid academic experience is vital, but it is the relationships that will be carried on with our students as they look back on their time in school. <br />
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As my district prepares to take their state assessments this coming week, I cringe thinking about how my school, staff and students, will be measured by a number. Sadly, many individuals will gauge the success of this year on a number. But, I promise you that number does not tell the relationships that exists in those classrooms, it does not tell the cultural changes we have done this year, and it does not tell you the moments and memories that students will carry with them. As my buddy Todd Nesloney frequently states, we are more than just a number! Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-47313000451849108212018-05-19T08:51:00.003-04:002018-05-19T08:51:57.405-04:00Inside the Trenches of the Principal: Week 42I have two sons: Ryder is six and a half and Maddox is three. Ryder has had a rough month at school. He has an amazing teacher and he is at a great school; he is simply not following directions. He's showing out at home as well with attitude and disrespect. My wife and I are working with him on making better choices and he's facing consequences for his actions. I'm not saying I am a great parent or that I am doing all the right things, but I accept that my child is not perfect and he is the one making these choices.<br />
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I explain all this because I sympathize. I sympathize with many of the parents who I meet with or call who also have children who are getting into trouble and not following directions at school or at home. I make calls daily to parents at my school and have to explain that their child got into trouble. The reactions vary, from complete denial that their child would do anything wrong to overwhelming apologies that their child disrupted the classroom. No matter where on the spectrum the parent lies, I definitely understand that it can be embarrassing, frustrating, or an inconvenience when these calls come through.<br />
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As a teacher, the challenge is being accountable for 20+ students when
one or two are taking up 90% of your attention. As a parent, the
challenge is needing your child to be in school so you can be at your
job, but also ensuring that your child is not taking away the learning
opportunities from all of the other students. And as an administrator, I want to ensure that students are in a safe, productive learning environment. <br />
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The reality is I don't have an answer on what to do. I am going to continue holding my child accountable for his actions, and I will continue holding my students accountable for their actions. At my school, we have made big pushes for restorative practices that aim to align consequences with actions. We also try our best to keep kids in the learning environment, since they can't learn the content if they're not in the classroom. As a staff, we've discussed classroom environments and tones of voice, options for discipline, and moving forward we'll be doing training on verbal de-escalation.<br />
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I will be spending this weekend with Ryder working on ways he can better respond in class and at home, and hopefully we can end May on a high note! <br />
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<br />Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-74629237790386358462018-05-12T08:38:00.003-04:002018-05-12T08:38:58.794-04:00Inside the Trenches of the Principal: Week 41I found out that if my principal gig doesn't work out, I'm going to enter the grilling world. Not that I'm a great griller, but I really enjoy it. I got to spend a few hours on Friday grilling for my staff to wrap up Teacher Appreciation Week. It was a beautiful day and my assistant principal and I threw burgers, hot dogs, and chicken onto the grill and got coverage for our teachers to have duty free lunch outside. My teachers work so hard, and I ask so much of them, so I wanted to make sure there was some way to thank them for everything they do.<br />
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I spent the first part of the week in Non-violent Crisis Intervention (NCI) training. I had gone through this training over eight years ago when I taught in Charlotte, so it has definitely been a while, but it was an outstanding course. Yes, you do learn restraints for extreme situations, but the more intriguing part for me was the verbal de-escalation training, which truly makes you reflect upon your approach with children and how to approach contentious situations. It can be easy to let emotions drive decision-making or reactions to situations where the students are being irrational, and this training provided good techniques to make sound decisions in those situations. <br />
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Several puzzle pieces were able to get filled this week for next year as I was able to hire a magnet coordinator and instructional facilitator, two key leadership positions in the school, plus two amazing teachers for first and fourth grade. I also received the first shipment of resources for our new multiple intelligenes lab for next year. While there is still much to be done for this year, it's impossible not to get excited for what's to come next year.<br />
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We also had our Fashion Show to model next year's dress code changes. One of my kindergarten teachers organized the show and we had a huge turnout by parents as our scholars showed off their fashions. We showed that while there are standard items that need to be worn during the week, we are encouraging the individualization and fun that can be accessorized in celebration of the Houses. <br />
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Someone asked me the other day if I was stressed with all of the things that have to be done over the next few weeks, and I honestly replied "no." I love pressure situations, plus I have a great team of teachers and leaders around my school who will make sure that we get done what we need to get done. <br />
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<br />Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3520180460724960707.post-57495745336774550822018-05-05T07:49:00.000-04:002018-05-05T07:49:52.529-04:00Inside the Trenches of the Principal: Week 4040 weeks!<br />
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Not that 40 has any specific significance, but it's round enough to be excited that I've completed 40 weeks of the principalship! In reality, we're in the final stretch, 25 more school days, and the big state test looms above us.<br />
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Maybe I am taking the ill-advised approach, but I am not stressing about the state test. As a teacher, I never stressed about it either. In my head, if I worked hard enough during the year, the kids were going to reflect the work that we did. Not every kid's score will reflect their true ability, but by and large, good teaching yields positive results. I am hoping that the same mentality comes to fruition with the school. If we have done our job this year, and we have taught the standards and engaged students in the learning process, the results will come.<br />
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This past week was full of celebrations in the district - 4 banquets - and it kept principals and district leaders busy! In between those events, however, I am learning what May feels like as a principal. It's stressful! My days are filled with EVAAS, teacher allotments, recruitment/hiring, student enrollment, staff evaluations, testing, parents concerns, student concerns, budgets/spending, end of year prep, and anything else that rolls across my plate. May feels a lot like September did in many regards. There is a sense of urgency in the air to get a lot of things completed and checked off by the deadlines.<br />
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I'll end on a lighter note this week with a solid "inside the trenches" story. I had a kindergarten student with me in the office who needed a snack toward the end of the day. I let him pick from my snack box and he chose Cheetos. Afterwards, his hands were orange and dirty, so I told him to go wash them in the bathroom. When he came back to me, I told him to hold out his hands so I could see them. The student holds out his hands in front of him and I bend down in order to examine if they were clean. Well as my head was near inches from him, the loudest, most colossal sneeze came from the boy. For those who know me, I am not a fan of germs, so I dove backwards faster than a speeding bullet. Naturally, those around the office at that time had quite a laugh, as did I, but it's moments like those that facilitate the laughs and memories (even if tremendously disgusting) that make this the best job in the world.<br />
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<br />Adam Dovicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14056955136316546561noreply@blogger.com0