My Big Goal for 2014-15

With my last week of summer break staring me directly in the face, I have begun to think about the 2014-15 school year and the goals I have for the upcoming year.  There are so many areas I want to continue to grow and develop in as a leader and as a learner.

One of the challenges I face in my role as an assistant principal is being at two elementary buildings. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely pros to being in two different buildings. I have the pleasure and honor to learn from and learn with two different staffs.  I have the pleasure and honor to build relationships with over 1000 students.  I have the pleasure and honor to work with two sets of families and communities.  I have the pleasure and honor to learn from and with two different leaders.  All of these experiences have helped me fine tune my leadership style while being exposed to a variety of situations.

While there are definite pros to being in two different buildings, there are also some challenges.  Not being in one building every day makes it difficult to always be in the know and have a pulse on the daily happenings. Luckily, there is wonderful communication at my buildings that I don't ever feel disconnected - maybe just not as connected as I want to be.

Last spring I met with our Assistant Superintendent to reflect on my first year and to discuss my goals for the upcoming school year.  Throughout our discussion, I shared my efforts to build and develop relationships with the staff, students and community.  I also told her I wanted to be more of an instructional leader in the coming year.  With the support of both of my principals, I have contemplated how this will look... being in two buildings, each with their own goals and needs.  I want to provide information and instructional support on a regular basis while meeting the needs of each individual staff.

So here is tentative plan...

1. Send each staff a Google Form asking for their input as to what topics they would like to gain more information about. Utilizing the Google Form, I will be able to keep the needs of the two staff separate in a Google Sheet for easy access and organization.  I want to make this goal meaningful for them and want to seek their input on topics or concepts they would like more information about.

2. Utilize my amazing PLN and begin to gather resources, links, blogs... to address their needs. I can add the information I have collected to the Google Sheets as a way to organize and monitor which topics to cover.

3. Share my learning with the staff virtually in a #fliplead approach (via @PeterMDewitt).  I would like to have a brief 2-5 minute video highlighting a blog, resource, instructional best practice using TouchCast, Screencast-o-matic, Haiku Deck, and Presentme to name just a few.  I want to model how to flip the learning using a variety of platforms and tools.  My goal is to do two a month, for each building.  Am I crazy?

What are your thoughts?  I would appreciate your comments and feedback on my goal for 2014-15.