Bullet Points and Highlights.  I can drone on for hours without skipping a beat.  I can do the same on a piece of paper.  As I work to refine my written communication skills I’m focused in large part on being simultaneously thorough and concise.

When I began as Meadow Brook Principal about fifteen weeks ago I was committed to effective communication.  Every piece of feedback I’ve received since that time has pointed to the fact that my staff wants the same (effective communication…from me).  They want to know what’s going on, they want to know my understanding of and vision for what’s going on, and they want to have consistent access to that information.  Turns out however, that they don’t want to hear or read me droning on.  They want it quick, and the fact is that’s all they have time for.

So instead of the lengthy diatribes that I specialize in, I’ve begun to send my messaging to teachers under the subject line “Bullet Points and Highlights.”  I throw down anywhere from five to ten bullet points with anywhere from one to five (or so) sentences each.  Then I highlight one key sentence or phrase from within each bullet point.  The idea is that folks can choose to read thoroughly or do a guided skim.   I’m not quite where I’d like to be with it…still learning and finding my concise voice, but I’m on the path.

Reflection and Anticipation.  This one is for parents.  The feedback I’ve received from this group of stakeholders is that they want to hear about and get to know my story.  I interact with teachers and students all day long but there are many parents with whom I’ve had little time to chat informally.  In lots of cases, my reflective writing is the best way for the parents I serve to get to know who I am, what I stand for, how I think about leadership and learning, and where I am in own growth and development.

This structure is less refined than the Bullet Points and Highlights at the moment (still working out the kinks).  Basically I take a few paragraphs to articulate my thoughts on how things have been going and a few more to point out some things that I’m looking forward to in the coming weeks.  As it’s developing I find it to be a good companion to the Week at a Glance that we send out listing upcoming dates and events.  I typically link specific and connected blog posts to this piece, and I invite parents to join me on my reflective learning journey at Berg’s Eye View.

MBuilt.  This is the Meadow Brook unified instructional leadership team and it’s just what it sounds like.  We’re headed into our sixth week of implementation and things seem to be going well.  Teachers want to be listened to, heard, and valued…and they should be!  I lead a building filled with incredible educators.  My vision for MBuilt is that it will unfold into an increasingly effective vehicle for genuine collaboration on the positive progress of our school community.   We’re currently in the process of digging into a collective vision and making sense of how we intend to operate as partners in teaching and learning.  I’m incredibly excited about our progress, and so far I’ve walked out of each meeting totally energized!

SOE (pt).  The School of Excellence (parent team) is a volunteer group and open to anyone who wants to join at any time.  Like MBuilt, attendees are welcome to come to as many or as few meetings as they can.  It’s literally a place for me to get together with a group of parents every other week to discuss the important issues of the day.  Our first meeting happened on Friday of last week.  We spent most of our time discussing ideas for enhancing our culture of sanitation and hand washing.  As you can imagine, with allergies and the potential for sharing illnesses with one another at school, this is a critical issue to stay on top of.  We made significant progress and are getting ready to bring some ideas for implementation to our teachers.  I’m thrilled to be working hand in hand with Meadow Brook parents in this way and I’m looking forward to nurturing the initiative as it develops over time.

SBS Classroom Visits.  Visibility and accessibly were both deeply connected to data that I’ve been collecting from my staff with regard to what they need from me.  Side by Side Classroom Visits are opportunities for me to work together with teachers and students while managing some of the other tasks that are required of me through each school day.  Have you ever sat at the dining room table with your spouse or at a coffee shop with a friend, working on different tasks but engaged in conversation and productively sharing time with one another?

I have a twenty-minute SBS schedule into my calendar each week with each classroom.  Teachers get my digital calendar at the beginning of each week so they know when to expect me.  They’ve been very flexible when unavoidable urgencies have pulled me away or prevented me from coming.  During an SBS I’m not observing or evaluating, I’m simply working side by side with learners in the classroom.  It has its pros and its cons, but so far I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it and I’ve received tremendously positive feedback from teachers and students.

 M2M Meetings.  I haven’t started this yet.  It’s still in development.  It’s a strategy that I’m stealing (and adapting) from the great Ben Gilpin (@bengilpin).  My friend and fellow principal, Ben meets with his entire student body for forty-five minutes each week while his staff has some extra time to plan, collaborate, or do whatever else it is they need to do.  I can’t quite do that, but I can do a scaled back version.

At Meadow Brook our mascot is the Meadow Mouse.  My intention in the new year is to organize a series of grade level meetings between myself and my students in which we can talk “mouse” to “mouse” (M2M) about expectations and progress toward our collective goals.  The idea is that we can address critical issues and collectively celebrate progress while giving teachers a bit of extra time.  The goal is to get an official green light from teachers at MBuilt and put together a schedule ASAP.

It’s all under development.  It’s all driven by the data I’ve been collecting and the reflection I’ve been doing regarding partnerships in my community.  It’s all open for adaptation.

Live. Learn. Lead.

Dream Big. Work Hard. Be Well.