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Parenting “Sweet Spot”
My dad only has daughters, which may lead some to think that my poor dad had no one with whom to play sports. Contrary to some of the stereotypical view of girls and sports that are still out there, my dad engaged us in a variety of sports. He took all of us out fishing quite often (before I was old enough to be squeamish about live worms), enrolled us in tennis, and taught me how to golf. My sisters had no interest in golf, but I found it incredibly exhilarating while simultaneously aggravating! If you’ve ever played a round of golf or even taken a bucket of balls out to the driving range, you’ll know what I mean. You could spend 4 hours on the golf course, hacking away … Read entire article »
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How I Was Destined to Become a School Administrator
I am pretty sure that there are very few kids if any at all that grow up dreaming of becoming a school principal. A ballerina, a firefighter, a professional sports player. Sure. … Read more »
EM Gem #6: Attendance is not Optional
On the huffingtonpost.com today, there is an article about attendance. Common sense is the prevailing conclusion here. Lack of consistent attendance to school equals lower performance and academic achievement. When I … Read more »
EM Gem #5: Build Positive Rapport
I’ve been hearing from some of my school principal friends that school culture has been shifting to a more us (school) against them (parents/guardians) rather than a culture of partnership. From my … Read more »
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EM Gem #3: School Gossip (Hey, Have You Met The New Principal?)
I got my first principal gig when I was 30, which is fairly young for the field. However, not only was I young, I looked even younger (blessed Asian genes of youth). … Read more »
Two is the New One
Ever wonder why the world's population has been growing at a ridiculously fast rate during the past 2 decades? It's because 2 is the new 1. In other words, having 2 kids … Read more »
The Things I Do For My Kids!
My Man and I have been married for nearly 8 years now. So 8 years and 2 kids later, it's not always (ok, ok so it's never) my top priority to take … Read more »
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How I Was Destined to Become a School Administrator
I am pretty sure that there are very few kids if any at all that grow up dreaming of becoming a school principal. A ballerina, a firefighter, a professional sports player. Sure. A school principal, no. I had aspirations of becoming an actress, and though I certainly had my share of drama queen moments, turns out acting wasn’t one my talents. Little did I know then that administration was. During my early elementary school years, I was a frequent flier to the principal’s office, particularly in second grade, because I hated my teacher, Mrs. Old-as-dirt. She was so mean, grumpy, and seemed like a hundred and fifty years old. One time, I wrote a note … Read entire article »
EM Gem #6: Attendance is not Optional
On the huffingtonpost.com today, there is an article about attendance. Common sense is the prevailing conclusion here. Lack of consistent attendance to school equals lower performance and academic achievement. When I was a child, I never missed a day of school Kindergarten through Twelfth grade. Even during the blustery Midwest winters when the snow came down like salt spilling out of a canister, my parents somehow managed to get us to school. Both of my parents worked long hours, but getting school was their priority, because they believed in the value of education and learning. I believe that education is the great equalizer. They reminded me often (as they still do even to this … Read entire article »
EM Gem #5: Build Positive Rapport
I’ve been hearing from some of my school principal friends that school culture has been shifting to a more us (school) against them (parents/guardians) rather than a culture of partnership. From my work experience, I would have to agree with this assessment. It is really unfortunate because schools cannot be successful unless all of the stakeholders work together. For teachers:When I was a principal, one of the things I strongly encouraged teachers to do was to make positive, personal contact with each student’s family early on in the school year before Back To School/Curriculum Night. Email, while a little less personal than a hand-written note, was a quick way to do this and saved … Read entire article »
Quote of the Day
Words to live by: “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” –Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. president … Read entire article »
EM Gem #4: Charter Schools v. Traditional Public Schools
Over the course of the past 5 years, I’ve gotten a lot more involved with charter schools. Even as an educator, I had little knowledge of charter schools prior to accepting an interim position as an assistant principal at a charter high school. I have found that there is a lot of confusion and mis-information about charter schools and thought it might be helpful to lay out a few key differences in a nutshell. This is by no means the end all, complete explanation about charter schools, but enough basic information so that you have a good understanding. A Little History Minnesota was the first state to pass a charter school law in 1991. There … Read entire article »