#memspachat Archive
A chat for Principals, Administrators & Lead Educators. Come join the Collaboration and Learning THURSDAY'S at 8pm ET.
Thursday May 12, 2016
8:00 PM EDT
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MIke Domagalski - Tonight's MODERATOR is ready to go!
Principal, Palms Elementary and Elem Curriculum Coordinator
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Hello crew! Jon here, elementary principal from Livonia.
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Good evening. Betty Rosen-Leacher, Principal Harvest Elementary, Saline.
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Derek Wheaton in the house, Principal Mentor/Coach and Advocate
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Hi Brenda here-multitasking between the chat and teacher eval research
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Hello leaders. Doug Ammeraal, Principal at Mona Shores Middle School
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Tim Lyman from Waverly... Son's baseball game rained out so I'm home for chat and excited to be here
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Good Evening MEMSPA friends! Cyndi Nickel, Elementary Principal, Walled Lake.
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Molly Funk Principal Mentor and Coach here to cheer you on in May!
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Great crew tonight for . Ready to rock and roll
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Good evening friends. Making time for myself to join the chat tonight! Matt Severin, Principal of Dowagiac Middle
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Rob, future principal starting in July.
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Welcome & Congratulations!
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Rachel Card, principal of Belle River Elementary in Marine City. Always seeking balance between professional & personal life.
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welcome to the club! look me up if you ever have a question. Be happy to help or simply listen
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Diane Peneycad, teacher leader Forest Hills Public Schools…taking time for myself by joining
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Welcome! Join Debbie McFalone and me at an early career principal workshop before the MEMSPA Summer Institute!
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Questions starting in 1 minute in . Get ready ya'll
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Welcome. Great chat. Great place to learn.
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Q1: How do you overcome the constant statement of “I wish I had more time?”
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Hello Shelly here K-12 Principal from N. MI, excited to be in the chat!
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Matt from IL lead learner joining
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Welcome Matt! Good to have on board.
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A1-I try to budget my time to ensure I complete all my tasks...would recommend the same thing for my colleagues
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Love tonight's topic! Michele, principal of
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A1: Prioritize. Organize. Create time. Maximize what you do have...to an extreme!
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A1: Ivan Fitzwater said: "Time management is self-management." Focus on the Big Rock priorities!
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A1 streamline what you can, cover 5 minutes of a class here and there, make ts clerical jobs easy so they can focus on ss.
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A1: belief in gratitude for the time I do have! Being present to enjoy the moments
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A1. Try to help find ways to give time. Time is a gift that is really available to give
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A1: You accomplish what you can and prioritize knowing the rest will be waiting for you the next day!
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A1: I try to relate it all to balance and priorities. Give examples of how I attempt to have balance myself.
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Great to see you Michelle!
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A1-I also try to empower staff and delegate what I can to others to ensure I can focus on essentials
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Big rocks first! People over paper! https://t.co/LWzBUoz9BI
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A1: Ivan Fitzwater said: "Time management is self-management." Focus on the Big Rock priorities!
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Good evening . Just lurking and learning this rainy evening! Time is a powerful cultural force.
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A1: Seek ways to work more efficiently and use many tech tools. Schedule time.
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A1: All plates are full and how can we shift to the important work, not the tasks that weight us down.
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A1 Important to also "intentionally abandon" less important and less effective tasks and strategies. Focus the big rocks
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A1: Find time in the moments. Get to office early, start day with calm. Keeps my day focused on Ts & Ss.
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A1: First things first. Time is a statement of your priorities.
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A1--I do the 'heavy' thinking in the morning...that's when I work most efficiently. I start and finish in one sitting
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A1: Ditto ! Do what you can with the people during the time your with them. Big Rocks first!
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Dawn from Grand Ledge, late to the party.
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it's all about relationships
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I so agree. Being present in the moments is so important and reminds of the good work!
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Smart Matt! Time management gurus say to find your best time and then tackle the tough stuff first!
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YES! Love getting to school before anyone (except my custodian). Favorite time...walking the empty, quiet hallways.
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Welcome! Glad to have you here.
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Getting better at this, but have room to improve.
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But boy, Derek, is it easy to get sucked into the mindless stuff like emails!
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You can use the WIN strategy! What's Important Now! https://t.co/H58eWxiC0c
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I so agree. Being present in the moments is so important and reminds of the good work!
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Me too! Peace starting the day early.
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Oh yeah! Schedule a couple of clustered times during the day to do that. Clustering work saves time!
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best advice ever from Derek.
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A2: Learning to say No - i.e. 'Shifting the Monkeys' - I'm a fixer
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A2 Learn to say NO! Saying no to something means saying yes to something else!(Yourself?) AND Outsource!
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A1: Encourage staff in working smarter, not harder. collaboration is key. I try to follow that same idea (smarter, not harder).
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A2: Find my best time & Be Visible! Never thought of the visibility in the terms of "not knowing". I <3 this!
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A2: Public Relations and Be Visible are the favs. I'd love to work on Control the Interruptions though.
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A2: Favorite strategies: Being visible helps with being proactive & hiring Great staff allows for widespread school leadership
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A2-I would say I currently use saying No and delegating the most, but am working on my first hires this year!
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A2b: Using a to-do list 'Writing down tasks and prioritizing them' this is a must for organizing my day
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A2: "Be visible" & "Hire good people"--Visible for obvious reasons. Good people impact culture.
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A2: Be visible! Be proactive. So much can be handled or prevented by being present and proactive.
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RETWEET on :
Q2: Check out the strategies on this link https://t.co/wRHHpaCqk6 - What are your two favorites and why?
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A2: Learning to say “no” and stepping down are 2 of the ways I am working on finding more time for priorities.
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A2: Plan and limit interruptions. It's too easy to get lost in the minutiae without both strategies.
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Some people set-up satellite offices in the hallway to be visible and to catch up on some computer work!
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A2: Use a to-do list to organize big and little rocks and be visible - knowing is half of the battle!
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A2-looking forward to focusing on hiring best people for the building and all else will fall in line
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What a great idea! I'm going to try this. Thanks Derek.
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A2: hire good staff (I depend on my team) and get the paper moving! Use for paperless office.
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A2 ask others for help and delegate. I don't have all the answers, and I trust my ts to know what is best for our ss
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Awesome job participants tonight.
QUESTION 3 is on deck now...
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A2: Asking for help has been tough! So blessed to be part of
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A2: "Be visible" and "Use a To Do list." Crucial to staying on task and keeping organized
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Q3: Why is being visible so essential for time management?
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Glad you're a part of the group Shelly!
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A3-I feel that being present within the building and classes limits the unexpected items that can arise and cause time issues
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A3 proactive leadership at its finest. Less problems when everyone knows you're around...
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A3: As I learned from the previous ? prevents problems as well as stops before they occur!
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A3--isn't the saying 'an ounce of prevention..."
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A3: being visible creates situational awareness to be proactive in anticipating needs of Ts and Ss
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A3: Helps me keep my heartbeat on the building and most importantly all the people inside- building relationships.
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A3 it is too easy to lose track of time doing the behind the scenes work. Being visible makes you available to help ts and ss
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A3: Address/handle issues in advance, connect w/ S, respond to a T?, & pick up trash all in a 5 min. passing. Save on backend.
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Great questions still to come on
You'll want to stick around and check out Questions 7 and 8 tonight.
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A3: Being visible sends a message of support to the Teachers, Students, & Parents. Also helps me keep on top of things.
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A3 It's a proactive way to stop the escalation of unwarranted problems. https://t.co/53Qo2PAByi
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Q3: Why is being visible so essential for time management?
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you got it Matt! that is so why we need to be visible... Lurking at every corner
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A3: Tis much better to be proactive than reactive! A must to know what is happening with your people and buildings!
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Yes! EXACTLY!
https://t.co/tlRDjg9MM0
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A3: being visible creates situational awareness to be proactive in anticipating needs of Ts and Ss
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Always ask yourself, "How is what I am doing helping the learning of a child?"
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Don't forget to check out the Summer Leadership Conference on Mac Island! Aug 2 & 3. CLICK: https://t.co/82nAfl9uRz
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Thanks for the short chat! I have to step out now
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A3: Being visible helps keep your finger on the pulse …of Ss, Ts, parents, and overall culture
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Mike D just told me "Here comes question 4 on " - Here we go...
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Q4: In what ways do you delegate in order for time management purposes?
Thanks LOL
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QUESTION 4 just posted on https://t.co/Pt4JO276jC
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Q4: In what ways do you delegate in order for time management purposes?
Thanks LOL
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A4: This is an area I'm working on. I find myself taking things off others plate... looking for help here!
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A4: I meet with my secretary daily. Time well spent! She also manages my calendar.
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A4 let ts who want to help help. If someone is better at something than I am and they want to do it, I let them.
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A4 first is using my secretary for most management tasks. Then getting staff to lead when I'm out.
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A4: Building shared leadership with T's. We need to use our secretaries more to take care of the minutiae-Go Paperless!
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A4: Much of my delegating goes to an incredible secretary & 2APs I would trust w/ anything in bld.
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you should join our if you've never been. I can help!
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A4: Staff Meetings are often led by teachers who are experts in their areas (tech, literacy, math, etc). Empowerment!
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A4: Love my secretaries - Not sure where I'd be w/o them. I delegate, they just get it done, always!
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When people come to you with a monkey on their back...don't take it! You have your own monkeys!
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A3: How can you build relationships if you're not seen... Visibility is key!
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A4: cont. Delgating to Department Leaders and Teacher Leaders.
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Great idea https://t.co/8D0VZpNBO8
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A4: Staff Meetings are often led by teachers who are experts in their areas (tech, literacy, math, etc). Empowerment!
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A4--I have put more trust in my sec'y over the years allowing me to be on the floor instead of in the office. Every min.counts!
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A4: I'm learning how to best utilize my awesome secretaries! I also consider how to involve teacher-leaders.
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So very true! We've really been working to grow our teacher leaders, I do love them!!
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A4: When I delegate - So many lead teachers leading = successful school. They always come through when I need them
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A4: Capitalize on the strengths of others, personally invite people to support you with their strengths & they won't disappoint!
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A4 My secretary handles my calendar & appointments. She is awesome, takes initiative on many tasks.
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Yes! This requires us to build those quality relationships to know strengths and maximize trust.
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A4: I'm interested in hearing specific tasks /ways your secretaries help you.
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A4 Every one of my colleagues has a strength. Tapping into the strengths helps with delegation.
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A4: Leave mtgs with an action plan so everyone knows who is responsible for what. People step up when given the opportunity.
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Agreed There is strength in numbers, no one person can tackle it all! https://t.co/2nMI6gfyP4
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A4: Capitalize on the strengths of others, personally invite people to support you with their strengths & they won't disappoint!
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Question 5 coming up on - Who's ready???
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I was reading about the satellite office. Great idea!
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A4: Also try to build capacity of staff. Delegation provides opportunity for shared leadership Together we're all better.
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A4: delegation based on impact on Ss...again I depend on amazing office staff and incredible teachers
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Yes and thanks to google docs for that as a shared exit document!
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I have a very talented Admin Asst. she manages budget/purchasing, we meet monthly to review.
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https://t.co/dz5NQja3RW
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A4: Capitalize on the strengths of others, personally invite people to support you with their strengths & they won't disappoint!
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Q5: How do you use your building secretary to free up time for yourself, professionally and/or personally?
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I set up a couple...just like Michigan satellite camps!
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A4: Empower leaders, trust people, and have a secretary who deserves the nickname "Queen" 😊
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That's just funny, more of Spartan kind of gal!
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A5 as a principal whose been through five secretaries in five years you've gotta find their strengths and build trust
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A5 paperwork, scheduling meetings, making copies
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A5: My secretary is the best!! She helps "protect my time" in classrooms & to have individual conversations with staff.
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A4: All staff members have gifts that can be leveraged. Capitalize on the talents of members of your team.
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A5: Extend trust from day 1 so they feel ownership and responsibility! Validate them!
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Wow! That would be tough! https://t.co/FK6FdAXfnV
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A5 as a principal whose been through five secretaries in five years you've gotta find their strengths and build trust
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A5: Budget, appointments, run interference. Trust... give her important info to answer questions so I don't have too.
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A5: Free up time by filtering what actually comes to me.Numerous large projects, even more small ones, day-to-day. Pulse of bld.
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A5: I tell both my secretaries daily that I couldn't do this without them! They are my rock!
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I agree, protection of time (and space sometimes) is a key role they play!
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A5: She knows that when walkthroughs are on my calendar, she has to nudge me out if I'm tied up with something or someone.
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very... If you need secretary interview or process ideas look me up... I've got us all covered
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Fantastic! https://t.co/eg4kgXXekx
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A5: My secretary is the best!! She helps "protect my time" in classrooms & to have individual conversations with staff.
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Question 6 rolling in about 30 seconds (just like this nasty storm approaching eastern Michigan, LOL)
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Awesome conversations on right now. Keep up the great work everyone!
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A5 Need to change the culture and think CEO-have secretary protect time "Out looking at learning!" Minimize, "Got a min. convos.
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Q6: Is there a time where a “Closed Door Policy” works? When does this have to happen?
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A5 Build a relationship. Trust her to do her job. Don't micromanage. Get out of the way & she goes above & beyond!
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A5--My secretaries do an amazing job of taking care of my kids, too. That alone saves me hours!
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A6 short term closed doors must happen... But can't be consistent. My staff is surprised if my for is closed
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A6: Critical situations that require immediate action, concentration, and/or private calls…close the door and focus.
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A6: You need to schedule a closed door time daily Take time for thinking, reflection, who needs gratitude?, prioritize, etc.
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LOL! I had a student ask me once "Why are you NEVER in your office?" Best. Compliment. Ever.
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A6:Yes...when...my door is closed. :) As leaders, we have to have certain conversations and get specific work done...during day.
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A6 only when something has to be confidential. Necessary not permanent
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A6 For me, one Sunday/month is a closed door policy to catch up on tasks. https://t.co/b6pEzR2SlY
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Q6: Is there a time where a “Closed Door Policy” works? When does this have to happen?
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A6: Yes! For difficult conversations w/ staff, parents or time for reflecting.
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Yes. Every. Single. Day. if possible.
https://t.co/MbuPAERkJ9
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A6: You need to schedule a closed door time daily Take time for thinking, reflection, who needs gratitude?, prioritize, etc.
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. When I am crunched for time and need to get something important done. I don't do it often enough!
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A6: Balance is key. "People first" generally, CDP also important for analysis and reflection. Reflection = necessity, not luxury
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I do this on my drive to and from school. https://t.co/0LIVaKBLff
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A6: You need to schedule a closed door time daily Take time for thinking, reflection, who needs gratitude?, prioritize, etc.
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- working on this homework :) https://t.co/I6muS0iC6c
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A6: You need to schedule a closed door time daily Take time for thinking, reflection, who needs gratitude?, prioritize, etc.
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A6: Prioritize visible times as well as times when a “power hour” of productivity is needed.
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A6: I close the door to meditate and practice mindfulness! Learned by reading The Mindful School Leader
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Agree! Not always easy to do, but necessary.
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"Time For You" questions involving play for Questions 7 and 8 -
Coming up next on
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A6: We all need"Closed door times" for conversations, reading, and prioritizing. Let go of the guilt:) https://t.co/3Q0r1FarTB
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Sounds like a great summer read! Thanks for sharing.
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Maybe I need this. https://t.co/8B6roMUgno
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A6: I close the door to meditate and practice mindfulness! Learned by reading The Mindful School Leader
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Q7: In what ways do you take time for yourself, away from your leadership responsibilities?
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These times of reflection pay dividends in increase productivity later.
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We got gratitude journals at our last class. So far, I have been writing every day!
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Q5: I make sure support staff (inc sec) are involved in our trainings, SIT, etc so they share the vision
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Trolling for that lunker!
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A7: Family Time, Playing Guitar, Reading, Traveling, Vegging:)
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A7: Surprise Ss @ lunch for added recess, go & play with them! Just did this today w/ my 1st graders...
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A7 play with the dog, hike, cook. I take time to recharge. Dead batteries help no one.
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Q7: Workout by 4:30am, driving, family / friends, positive notes, choir/orchestra, reading, and...of course, sleep.
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A7: 1 weekend away a month with my wife. Cabin, ballgame, camping, liquid tasting, etc...
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A7 I always schedule my vacations first thing in my calendar. My carrot! Backpacking, gardening, going to concerts, FAMILY
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A7 long walks in the woods and music are also favorites if I'm not fishing
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A7: Drove 2 1/2 hours one way last night to watch my grandson play t-ball! The best!
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A7: Loved just showing up at Girls on the Run practice today and running a mock 5-K with the girls. Exercise is key!
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A7: Snuggling with my 4 kiddos, chilling with hubby watching TWD or Game of Thrones ;)
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For May, best question of the night:
Q8: What are some get-a-way locations you can share with group that take away the stress?
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A7: Play baseball with my son. Pretend to be a prince with my daughter. Adore my wife...that keeps me balanced
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A7: Reading, gardening, quilting, watching movies and Game of Thrones
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A7: Biking…long rides for several. Love these times of quiet reflection on Michigan backroads. Riding RAGRBAI this summer.
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A7--I run and run and run. Man, I need to get running again!
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A8: Camping in East Tawas. THE BEST!
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A8 Manistee National Forest. Great place to get away and relax.
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A8: MEMSPA Summer Institute on Mackinaw Island is coming up :)
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A8 I live on the west side! Walks and sunsets on Lake Michigan! Pure Michigan!
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QUESTION 8 on https://t.co/0mbraKv2xh
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For May, best question of the night:
Q8: What are some get-a-way locations you can share with group that take away the stress?
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Vegging...me too! I tilled my garden this weekend.
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A8: Traverse City in December at State Conference Lifetouch Party!
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A8: A great B&B (Try English Inn in Eaton Rapids)... or around any of the Great Lakes, love Mackinaw Island!
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You're way ahead of me Matt! My vegging involves a couch:)
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I'm thinking that would be right now. Schools are slightly creepy when they're dark and empty. https://t.co/F4M1gNyY9E
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Q6: Is there a time where a “Closed Door Policy” works? When does this have to happen?
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planted seeds indoors in February... they are ready to go outside! https://t.co/RmC6tXyPmP
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Vegging...me too! I tilled my garden this weekend.
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A8 anywhere there is water, a cool drink and friends/family. Summer institute will be amazing but I'm not wishing away Summer
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A8: Saugatuck/Holland combo, Grand Haven boardwalk, TC (anywhere), and of course, back on the farm in Borculo!
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A7: I started making time for ME- started running and take a boot camp class. Paint. Treasure time w hubby & our 4 kids!
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A8: Northern Michigan is a beautiful place to be!
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A7: Spend time with family, garden, read, listen to music, explore outdoors, exercise, watch "Dexter" (current favorite series)
