six things you can do tomorrow to create an exemplary school allan r. bonilla,ed.d...

SIX THINGS YOU CAN DO TOMORROW TO CREATE AN EXEMPLARY SCHOOL

Allan R. Bonilla,Ed.DSchool-principal.comabonilla1@yahoo.com

1. Increasing Your VisibilityWhat can you do when you get back to

school?

• Hallways

• Cafeteria (accessibility)

• Dismissal

• AM Visibility (Where, How, Why?)

“It Means A Lot To Teachers And Others To See Their Principal In The Corridors, In The Cafeteria, And At

After School Functions”.

What’s Your Typical Day?

• Hours In Office?• Hours In Classrooms?• Hours Out & About?

Helping Teachers And Students

How Does What You Do In The Office Help Teachers And Students?

How Does What You Do Visiting Classrooms Help Teachers And Students?

How Does What You Do “Wandering Around” Help Teachers And Students?

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe(1749-1832)

“The Things That Matter Most Should Never Be At The Mercy Of The Things That Matter Least”.

-Goethe

2. Delegating The Strengths WayMarcus Buckingham: Go Put Your Strengths To Work

“All New Managers At Toyota Must Now Attend A Three Day Great Manager Training Program That Shows Them How To Spot The Strengths Of Their Subordinates”.

“All New Managers At Yahoo Are Required To Take An Online Survey That Measures Their Talents And Pinpoints Their Strongest”.

More from Buckingham….

“The Value Of The Employees Lies In Their Creativity, Innovation, And Good Judgment. None Of Us, Though, Is Creative, Or Innovative, Or Has Good Judgment In Every Single Aspect Of Our Work”.

-simplystrengths.com

People, Places, The Things They Do and The Times They Do Them !

“Getting The Right People In Place Who Have The Talent And Capability To Get The Work Done And Letting Them Do It”.

-Clarence Otis, Jr. Darden Restaurants

(Capital Grille, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse)

-From N.Y. Times June 2009

Self Questioner

Who Are Your Closest Support People?• 1---------------• 2---------------• 3---------------• What Are They Best At? What Are Their

Strengths?• 1--------------• 2--------------• 3--------------

Whose Strength Lies In:

• Parental Involvement• Curriculum (Science, Math, Reading, Etc.)• Master Schedule• Data Interpretation• Discipline• Learning Communities• Spec.Ed., LEP, Gifted• Technology• ????????????????

Leadership

Leadership: “The Art Of Getting Someone Else To Do Something You Want Done Because He Wants To Do It”.

-Dwight Eisenhower

Tom Peters

“Leaders Don’t Create Followers, They Create More Leaders”.

-Tom Peters

HAPPIER

HAPPIER By Tal Ben-shahar, Ph.D - NY Times Bestseller talbenshahar.com• PBS Special• Harvard’s Most Popular Course

• pg. 99 • pg.103

Delegate, Delegate, Delegate….

• Delegate, Delegate, Delegate….

-Kim Marshall Marshallmemo.Com

3. CELEBRATING EVERYDAY(1918-2001)

“There Are Two Things People Want More Than Sex & Money…and That’s:

Recognition & Praise”

-Mary Kay Ash

Neila Connors

“Great Leaders Know The Importance Of Job Satisfaction. Employees Want To Feel Appreciated, Respected, Empowered, And Valued”. -Neila Connors

A Nice Note

“A Nice Note In My Box On A Random Thursday Means More Than The Time I Won The Gold Star Award Because It Was “My Turn”.

-teachermagazine.org 6/08

Management

“Management Is Nothing More Than Motivating Other People”.

-Lee Iacocca

WHAT CELEBRATIONS WILL YOU BRING BACK TO YOUR SCHOOL?

• Honor Roll Programs

• Report Card Pick-up

• Birthday Cards

• Students On TV

• Attendance Recognition

Keeping Your People Pumped

“Keeping Your People Pumped”

-Jack & Suzy Welch, Business Week

March 27, 2006

Leadership:

“Before.. It’s About You… After.. It’s About Others”

The Nature Of Relationships

“Four Years Of Public School Teaching…and Ten Years As A Principal…convinces Me That The Nature Of Relationships Among Adults Who Inhabit A School Has More To Do With A School’s Quality And Character, With The Accomplishments Of Its Pupils And The Professionalism Of Its Teachers Than Any Other Factor.”

-Roland Barth Author & Founder Of Harvard’s Principals’ Center

Caring!

“ I Don’t Care How Much You Know Until I Know How Much You Care.”

( Unknown)

4. Conducting Walk-Throughs The Smart Way

• Who Does Walk-throughs?

• Principal

• Asst. Principals

• Deans

• Dept. Heads

• How Many Are Done Per Day?

Learning Walks: Observations

• Type Of Instruction• What’s Really Going On• Student Participation• Student Work• Materials• Attractiveness

Follow-Up…

• Chat With Teachers

• Connect With Students

• Supplies, Materials

• Maintenance

School Management

By Larry Frase & Robert Hetzel

Different Attitude

“I Have A Different Attitude About Working For This Principal Because He Actually Notices How Hard I Work And Lets Me Know That He Sees What I Do.”

-teachermagazine.org 6/08

Remember………..

• TEACHERS WANT TO SEE YOU.

• STUDENTS WANT TO SEE YOU.

• PARENTS WANT TO SEE YOU.

5. ASK DON’T TELL

The Four Most Important Words…

“What Do You Think?” (How Often Do We Ask This?)

If You Don’t Feed The Teachers They Eat The Students, By Neila Connors

-Questions?????

Leadership Coaching

In Leadership Coaching, We Learn To Ask Powerful Questions In Order To Encourage Creative Thinking And To Bring Out The Brilliance In Others.

• We Ask “How’ & “What” Questions Rather Than “Why”.

• “How Can We Accomplish This?”• “What Do You Need?”• “Why Did You Do That?”

Block Scheduling Process

• Surveyed Literature• Asked About Concerns• Visited Successful Campuses• Shared Information• Conducted Trial• Surveyed Staff

6. WALK THE TALK

“A Leader Leads By Example, Whether He Intends To Or Not”. (Unknown)

“We Teach What We Live”. (Unknown)

“If You’re Working In A Company That Is NOT Enthusiastic, Energetic, Creative, Clever, Curious, And Just Plain Fun, You’ve Got Troubles, Serious Troubles”.

-Tom Peters

Set The Example

Dress Humor Mood Compassion Trusting Life Long Learner

Teachers-What Effective Principals Do

Bringing Out The Best In Teachers-What Effective Principals Do

-Joseph Blasé & Peggy Kirby

Truly Authentic Leadership

Truly Authentic Leadership -Bill George, Harvard Business School Traits:• Purpose With Passion• Solid Values• Hearts & Heads• Relationships• Self-discipline

Have A Personal Talk!

Have A Personal Talk With Every Staff Member, Asking Questions Like:

What’s Going Right In This School? What Can Be Improved? How Can I Help You Do A Better Job?

Teachermagazine.Org 6/08