Now Seeking: Instructional Change Agents

What were the speaker’s main messages?

He talked about strategies principals can model for their teachers.

What was the speaker’s best quote?

• “How are you? When is the last time you asked yourself that question? What does this phrase mean for you as a leader”
• “Every day counts. Whether it is Day 8, Day 78, or Day 168.”
• “Do we do school to kids or with kids?”

What were the top ideas from the session?

• What does leadership mean? Talk with your staff at the beginning of the year about what this means
• If we know that the world is operating collaboratively, why do we still have students sitting alone and in isolation in the classroom? 
• School culture, instructional strategies, community advocacy, and student engagement are important.
• Driving School Culture: There are five types, including your passion, visible culture, hidden culture, student culture, and future culture.

What are strategies I will implement immediately?

• At the door, greeting people. Prioritizing teachers and being where they are right away in the morning.
• Be a student for a day.
• Model every day what you want to see for faculty.
• Learning is social: model standing and talking in groups to learn together.
• Biggest time waster in class = Transitions. Use a time marker (keep time on phone with alarm to help stay on track).
• All means all.

What is one strategy that will help you with instructional leadership?

Mentor Minute: Identify most vulnerable students, match with an adult with no duty (ex. custodian, librarian, nurse, art, PE, music, etc.), 10 minutes per day, and get students out the door at the end of the day in a positive way.

Notes by Tiffany L. Rehbein, principal of Bain Elementary School in Cheyenne, Wyoming.