Being a principal is tough, being a brand new principal is finding itself to be a challenge that could be more than I thought.  I been enjoying my time so far, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.  I do however feel as each day goes by, the more I need to be working on projects, reports, and other office duties.  The trade off is losing connection to the classroom, the students, the teachers, the parents.

This past Friday, I got to go to a Professional Development Conference last Friday with my teachers.  and I loved it.  We had Terry Schmidt as our main speaker.  I gave my teachers an assignment that they needed to report about the sectionals they went to and what they liked.

I been so busy, that I have not had time to do any learning.  I was starting t lose connection to what I find the best job in the world.  I need to deliberately go out of my way, to make sure, my learning needs are met.

I love conducting faculty meetings.  I love teaching teachers!  I broke the day up, doing different activities.  The first half of the day was our PD with Devotions time.  I am working my teachers through the book, “What Great Teachers Do Differently” by Todd Whitaker.  The second half of the day was spent on numerous activities.  Learning our email system or website, curriculum mapping, 21st Century Education, and time to share and answer some questions I wanted them to think about and answer.  On the last day we also took time to be with a partner and pray for and with that person.

One advantage I will have this year is a lot of time for faculty meetings.  Almost every Wednesday is a half day for the teachers.  So the rest of the day is time for Faculty meetings.  Obviously there is the to-do list and administrative part.  But, I am using this time for continual PD , Curriculum Mapping, and departmentalized learning sections.  I will also bring in a few presenters and speakers.  Lastly the teachers will have work they need to work on throughout the week.

How are your faculty meetings run?  Are they informative as they should be? Why or Why Not?

I am sitting in the Vegas airport, hoping my battery doesn’t die before I finish this, but waiting for my flight back to LA.  I spent all day at Faith Lutheran Jr. High and High School in professional development.  No one is making me go.  Well no one but me. My school didn’t say I had to go, I wanted to go.

This past Thanksgiving week I got very sad, because I was not able to go to our annual Lutheran Educators Conference (LEC).  Our school didn’t have the money.  I am also guessing they didn’t have the love for their teacher or students.  I was told the conference was “optional” and not “mandatory.”  Everyday we ask our students to learn, but do not ask it of ourselves.  Professional development is MANDATORY!  In a recent survey of Lutheran educators it reveals that professional development for information, media, and computer literacy is a PRIORITY.  Dr. Perry Bressman shared this thought, “Who wants to go to a surgeon who hasn’t learned anything new in he last 10 years?” Why should parents send their kids to us, if we are stuck in our teaching methods that are outdated.

So the only thing that can come from PD is good things. (even if the conference sucks)

I love going to LEC for numerous reasons.  It is a time to relax (vacation time for my family), it is a time to learn, and it is a time to interact.   Although our staff does interact with each other during the rest of the school year, it is always nice to sit down as a staff for a nice meal.  It is a time to bring each other closer to each other.  As you may know the Lutheran school system is actually very small in some terms.  I have taught at 3 different Lutheran schools and have made connections with other teachers, which is always nice to catch up with at these conferences.  I meet new people who in turn can become part of my PLN.

I love going to the sessions and learning new concepts and applications.  If I could I would go to a conference every week to learn something new.  But, it is also a way to refuel my tank.  I can get excited and can’t wait to be back in my classroom to try something new.  It helps you from getting burnt out.  Most Lutheran teacher burn the match on both end.  We need time for ourselves.  Mary Irish, principal, talked to this very statement about how we need to make sure we take care ourselves so we can take care of others.  Mary compared it to taking an airplane.  They always tell us on flights that if we need to put on oxygen mask to make sure we put ours on first before we help anyone else.  It is nice to be at a great place.  For this SLED conference we were at the Red Rock Resort in Vegas.  It was so relaxing.  The room was great and peaceful.

What are you doing for PD?

If your school is like mine, you might not get the opportunity to go to conferences, because it is too expensive.  But, you should not worry.  You can still learn and interact.  You need to take your ownership in PD as I mention in earlier post about this being your year.  Create your PLN and learn from them.

Here is what you should do.

Go to http://blog.cuw.edu/21cle/archive-2009-presentation-recordings/ and listen to the different presentations from last year 21CLE.  Then, make sure you mark your calendars for this years conference – February 25th, 26th and 27, 2010!

Finally you need to keep reading here on Lutheran Educator’s Guild.

Fall in love with your PD.