8 Educators Worth Following on Twitter #KidsDeserveIt

Every so often I love to write a post sharing with you some people on social media who have been inspiring me.  I am connected with, and inspired by, so many!  So this is in NO WAY the complete list!  But these are a few that I've come to find in the last month or so who are doing some incredible work!  So connect with them, follow them, and let's learn together!

Eli Casaus

Eli is an Elementary administrator in New Mexico.  I love Eli's passion for education and his tireless work to do what's best for kids. Eli is great at pushing your thinking, encouraging others, and really looking at things with a unique perspective.  Eli is never one to let any excuses get in the way of doing what's best for kids. I have learned so much from Eli in the short time I've been connected with him and he pushes me to grow more every day!

Travis Crowder

Travis is a middle school teacher in North Carolina.  Travis is one of the most incredible writers I've ever met.  His posts always contain such depth, information, and passion.  He is an avid reader, but even more so he's an advocate for all children.  He is incredibly giving of his time to kids and other educators and is always up-lifting.  Travis has really pushed my thinking about independent reading, poetry, and student led projects.

Onica Mayers

Onica is an Elementary principal in Texas.  I absolutely love Onica's energy and passion.  She is always encouraging her staff and pushing herself to be better.  She is outgoing and incredibly focused.  I have loved following Onica (and stealing a few of her ideas along the way!)

Serjio Medina

Serjio is 4th grade Teacher in Texas.  I love Serjio's ideas that he pushes into the classroom with his students.  Serjio is great at sharing his learning (in person and online) and is really passionate on providing a high quality education to every student regardless of their backgrounds.

Jorge Ortiz

Jorge is a 3rd grade teacher in Texas.  I have been blown away by Jorge's creativity and ideas.  He works tirelessly to provide new and exciting ideas for his students. I am thankful there are leaders like Jorge who are sharing their ideas online so that I can keep passing them along to my teachers.  

Catherine Williams

Catherine is a teacher in Australia.  I have absolutely loved following Catherine's tweets and seeing the work she's doing.  Catherine is super encouraging and someone who is always working to do better for her students and school.  She's an avid learner and is active on social media and connecting with others.

Crystal Williams

Crystal is a Math Specialist in North Carolina.  I love the things that Crystal shares on social media and how she's always highlighting the work of others.  She is full of energy and incredibly passionate.  She shares great ideas and always has me wanting to be and do better!

Robert Runcie

Robert is a Superintendent in Florida.  I love Robert's passion for showing of his students and schools.  He is super positive and encouraging and one who is a great resource of tons of ideas shared through his twitter!

So there ya go! Just a few more people to check out on social media that you may or may not have already been connected with!

Look Down #KidsDeserveIt

This week has been a week of deep reflection for me.  Every one of us goes through periods where we doubt our gifts, where we wonder if the place we find ourselves in is the place we're best suited.  And for whatever reason I've always felt that February is by far the most difficult month of the school year.  It's that period where we're over the Christmas Break honeymoon, spring break looms around the corner but so does testing, and the kids (and adults) can sometimes act like it's their first time ever in a school setting.

It wears on us, it tears us apart.  I know I am so blessed to work at a campus with 81 staff members.  I work hard to connect with each of them, to spend time in each of their spaces.  I know I could do it better, we always could.  I know I am blessed to work at a campus with over 750 students.  I work hard to get to know each of them, to spend some face to face time connecting with each of them.  I know I could do better, I always can.

I was informed in late December and early January, by several staff, that this year they felt under appreciated.  They felt like I could be doing a better job to bring us all together.  That I could do much better at providing feedback.  That I could be more encouraging.  That I could find more ways to recognize more staff.  And you know what? They were right.  And that kind of feedback keeps me growing.  It led to me (and the rest of the admin team) sending emails every time we do a 10-15 min walkthrough to give more consistent feedback.  It led to the creation of a weekly workout, weekly bible study, and a monthly staff get together.  And it's helped me adjust other ideas I've had too.

When I took a position as a principal, I had high hopes.  I wanted to be the best there ever was.  And though I am not anywhere near where I want to be, I still work at it.  I look at Webb and the growth we've seen over the last two years.  The decrease in ISS/OSS placements, the increase in males being involved on campus, the increase in love for reading, the staff retention, and more.  I'm so proud of our work.  Of the work everyone has done, because this is by NO means a reflection of me or my leadership.  Everything this campus accomplishes is because of the hard work they all put in.

The one thing I never expected when taking a principal position was the constant barrage of anger, disappointment, and frustration.  I want to be very careful how I express this because I LOVE my job and am not complaining by any means.  One thing I never knew as a teacher, that I now know as a principal, is that every day no matter how scheduled and organized I am, is filled with unexpectedness.  On a daily basis I have several parents who tell me how I am the worst leader, I have staff who come in to tell me what I need to fix and how I should be doing things better, I have upper administration who reprimand me for making a decision I felt was best for kids, I have students who are hurt and lashing out, I have the state asking me to do more or making sure we're on the right track, and more.

I look at the work left to do before me and at times it feels overwhelming.  It feels too much. I feel I'm not qualified enough, that someone could do it better.  That someone else should be doing my job.

It's one of the reasons I really don't like winning awards or being recognized for things.  I know I am not "the best".  I know I have a lot of work to do to even be half of what I want to be.

I am always looking at growth.  I push all of my team to keep growing and trying.  I see the hard work they're putting in and I'm blown away every day that I get to even share the same building space as them.  They are the game changers, they are the rockstars, and I am the one who is here just to clear the path for them and carry some of their load so they can shine brighter.

I don't share this story as a "woe is me" moment.  I share this to let you know that every one of us deals with doubt.  I love my school so much and want to create the best environment for these kids because they deserve it.  They have enough going wrong in many of their lives that they deserve to come into a building filled with love and the best education ever.

So when it seems too much, when you wonder if you were meant for this, take a moment to look down. Look down into the eyes of the children we serve every day. And remember, you may be the only adult in their life who shows up every day for them.

Read Me A Story #KidsDeserveIt

If you take just a minute to turn on the television or pull up a news article, you are bombarded with news and information.  Much of which has become a stream of gasp-inducing executive orders, mean-spirited Tweets/Facebook posts, or worse.

One of my favorite things about being a principal is the opportunity to go into classrooms and read stories.  There is nothing better than walking into a classroom and having a kindergarten student tug on my pants leg and ask me, "Mr Nesloney will you read me a story?".  

And I've read stories to classrooms since my first year as a Principal.  A few months ago, I wrote an article for Scholastic's Reader Leader Blog called "She Looked Like Me".  That post came from a new season of my life I had entered.  A season where now I feel so much more educated about providing opportunities for children to read and have stories read to them that include characters and storylines that are personal to them.  No longer do I ignorantly read stories that include predominantly white and/or male characters.

I know stories teach empathy, understanding, and acceptance. Stories can teach you how to deal with your emotions, handle difficult circumstances, and remind you that you're not alone.  And as a Principal I know the importance it is to introduce children to those stories.  And I'm not just talking elementary aged children either.  High School students are EQUALLY as important!

The month of January I read to every PreK-5th Grade classroom and my Life Skills classes.  But I didn't just choose a story randomly off my shelf.  A month or so ago I was able to visit an incredible bookstore in Minnesota.  Instead of having all the picture books organized on one large shelf, it had shelves that were sorted by what country the author or story was from.  And the books were fantastically eye opening.  The distinct artistic and storyline differences.  The concepts, cultures, characters were vibrant and reflective of people from all over the world.

So I chose a variety of stories. I chose books from all over the world and spent way too much money. But I knew it'd be worth it.

This month I read "Seven Blind Mice" written and illustrated by Ed Young to all of my PreK and Life Skills classes.  A simple story of what seven blind mice THINK they are encountering at their pond.  Ed Young is a Chinese born illustrator and author and his story is filled with beautiful pictures and brief, but powerful story about understanding the whole picture before you make an assumption.

Then I read "My Name is Yoon" written by Helen Recorvits and illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska to my Kinder-5th grade classes. Gabi is a Polish born artist and Helen's parents were immigrants.  "My Name is Yoon" is a WONDERFUL story of a little Korean girl just moving to America and trying to find her place in an English filled world where she feels alone and can't stand the English version of her name.

I read the stories to the children.  We talked about what they meant, the characters, the lessons.  Did it change their lives? Maybe not.  But what it did do was introduce them to characters that didn't look exactly like them, that didn't sound like them, or necessarily think like them.

Building empathy in children is about letting them see we all go through different things and handle things differently, but in the end we are so very much alike.

We live in a world where people feel more bold than ever before to scream out "illegal", or "learn english!" or "go back where you came from".  A world where 6 year olds stop me in the hall and ask if mommy will be here today to pick her up or if she is going to be deported before she gets home.  A world where a 4th grader stands up and says "I am more than the gangs and drugs you see on my streets".  A world where a 3rd grade girl asks me "Girls can do that too, right?".

As educators we can't waste a moment.  We must use books to teach stories and introduce children to a vast variety of characters and experiences.  Our future depends on it.

Go through your classroom books, seek to diversify and add new stories, and when that child looks up at you and says "will you read me a story?", find a story that will only add to their experiences.  It's easier than you think, but it will take an effort on all of us.

**What are some of your favorite stories to use in class? Share in the comments below!

We All Need Growth #KidsDeserveIt

Something we talk about quite often is growing.  Growing as professionals and personally as well.  Not one of us has reached that pinnacle of knowing everything.  Though sometimes we all like to act (yes, even me) like we do!

As campus leaders part of our job is to work with teachers to help them grow.  We send them to (and bring in) PD, we do walk throughs of their class, sit with some of them one on one, and use the T-TESS process to help us along the way.

We're always pushing you to help teachers grow.  Sometimes it's uncomfortable, sometimes it's fun, and sometimes it's hard and makes them want to cry or walk away. But one of my favorite lines to think about is, "How dare we ask our students to come to school every day and learn, if we're not willing to keep learning ourselves".

But one thing I never want to do, is I never want to ask my team to do something I wouldn't do myself.  That's why I'm passionate about reading to classes, doing morning/lunch/afternoon duty, helping plan lessons, team teaching, modeling lessons, sitting in PLCs, working with our PSP coach, and more.

I know for me that I have a lot of growing to do as well.  I make it a point to do a self inventory every week to remind myself of things I'm working on, ways I'm growing or trying to, and things I need to do to continue my growth.

One of the most dangerous phrases in education is "we've always done it that way".  But I'd like to say another phrase that's dangerous is "what I'm doing is working better than others, why do I need to grow?"

One way that I've tried to share this with my team is through our Swivl Recordings.  We have a Swivl robot and it's amazing. The teacher wears a marker/microphone around their neck and the robot turns and follows the teacher as they move around the room and speak.

Since we finished all our teacher evaluations before Christmas, during January we wanted to continue growing. So we're recording every teacher for 30 minutes in January and the teacher then will watch their recording and submit a written reflection over what they see and how they're addressing the two areas of refinement we identified in December.

Yes, recording yourself, much less watching it, is scary.  I hate hearing my voice, seeing the way I move, etc.  But I know when I did it as a teacher, there were GREAT things I learned.  But since we asked our teachers to do it, my admin team felt we needed to do the same.  So over the last two weeks myself, as well as my admin team, went into classrooms and taught a lesson and recorded ourselves.

Then during our staff meeting this week, the teachers will get to choose which admin lesson they want to watch, and THEY will rate US using our T-TESS (State of Texas) evaluation system.  Then myself, and my admin team, will spend the spring semester working on our areas of refinement based on how the teachers rated us.

Was/Am I terrified to do this? Of course!!  But as campus leaders we must also be growing, learning, and modeling. Plus I view myself as an INSTRUCTIONAL leader.  How can I call myself that if I'm not actively teaching, growing, and bettering THAT craft??

Growth is something we're all doing, or should be doing.  So let's remember to keep pushing, keep trying, and keep growing this week.  It's when we go through something and DON'T use it as a lesson to learn that things become dangerous for us as professionals.

But, when we talk about growth, one thing I think we also have to think about is our growth in learning and understanding different cultures, backgrounds, stereotypes, and more.  I saw the video below earlier this week and couldn't stop the tears from flowing.  How many lies do we believe, not only about our kiddos, but about people in general.  Let's take the time to learn about and truly work to understand and respect everyone.

Self Negativity #KidsDeserveIt

I know that each of us has worked on a team or campus where people complain.  Where people are negative.  They don't like a certain person and talk about it all the time.  They don't like a decision that was made and complain to you about it for hours (or sometimes days).  The parents are annoying. The kids are annoying. The curriculum, the school board, the central office, the principal, the cafeteria workers, and so on.  If we look for just a few minutes it is very easy to find something to be negative about.

But often, what I think is even more dangerous is when we begin to talk negatively about ourselves.

I have a few educator friends that I talk to on a regular basis.  One of those friends, every time I will compliment him or say something was impressive, he will shoot me down. Tell me it's not that big of a deal, that everyone does it.  Or that others do much greater/cooler things than him. 

I have another friend who every time I compliment or encourage him, he ignores it and flips it on me and how I do something well.  And I am constantly trying to get him to accept the compliment.  To feel worthy.

And I have one more who with every compliment, he says "yes, but I have lots of growing to do" or "well I'm not as great as __________".

I get so frustrated when trying to build them up because it seems like they don't even believe in their own greatness.

And then I find myself doing the exact same thing when I am complimented or encouraged. I deflect the compliment. I say I'm not as good as someone else.  I claim you just "caught me on a good day".

Why is it so hard, for us as educators, to take a compliment?  Why do we have to be so hard on ourselves and negative about what we are doing right.  We're all in this profession because there is something great that we do.  And though it's hard to remember that, we must.

I will always remember what Angela Maiers told me... she said "Why aren't you sharing your genius with others? When you sit there and don't ever share your great ideas or what you do in your class/school, you're doing a disservice to others in our field, because then no one gets to learn from you and you bring great things to the table"

I see every team member on our campus do something incredible on a daily basis.  It's why I'm always pushing them to share out their class activities on Social Media, I want the rest of the world to see!!

So this week my challenge to you is, try and make it a point to accept any compliments that come your way and take some time to share your brilliant ideas with others.

It's Time to Speak Up #KidsDeserveIt

 

On Friday, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released information on a new Texas Rating system.  It's a very simplified rating system that gives every school and district in Texas ratings on a A-F scale.  Even though this system will not officially go into effect until August of 2018 (yes, 2018), the state released preliminary ratings to the public at large on Friday.

If you've been following the news at all lately you've seen the outcry for educators and districts alike at the disdain for this new system.  For the first time in all my years in education, I see districts rising up with one voice to stand against this injustice.

What's the injustice you might ask?

In my opinion, the injustice is the misunderstanding of education.  

There has been much research released lately that discusses the simple fact that schools that have higher minority and poverty stricken families, score lower than their counterparts.  That if you remove the standardized testing from the equation completely, you would be able to figure out school ratings based on minority groups and socioeconomic status alone.

And that's the problem. The people who are making decisions concerning our schools and our students have often never stepped foot into a public education classroom since they themselves were students.

So how does this happen?  It's partly because of us.  Of educators.  We haven't stood up or spoke up.  We haven't stood TOGETHER to speak out against injustice.  Not enough of us have called legislatures, written letters, marched to Austin, wrote about it, or spoke about it.  We complain at our schools. We say they just don't get it. But I'm tired of doing just that.  I'm ready.  I'm going to use my voice this year and I'm going to speak up.

But why is it important to speak up now?

Because our schools are so much more than a A-F rating.  Out of 4 domains, my campus (Webb Elementary) received three "F" ratings and a "C" ratings.  How does that make a parent or community member feel? How does that make our kids feel?

I know for me, even though I know the great work we do, the "F" ratings hurt, and cut deep.  I know they're not reflective of the work we ARE doing at our school, but still I know the scores are out there in the public conversation.

What does this rating system not take into account?

It doesn't measure the progress we've made in connecting with families.  It doesn't measure that we had over 350 families come to our Hot Dog Cookout at a local apartment complex every semester.

It doesn't measure that we had over 580 MEN come to or our Dinner with a Gentleman with their child.  

It doesn't show how excited our students are to come to school.  

It doesn't measure those children we have connected with and helped find success in an area for the first time in their life.  

It doesn't measure the fact that our nurse has spent over $500 of her own money this year to buy students deodorant, toothpaste, or even clothes because they couldn't afford it themselves and were too embarrassed to ask for it. 

It doesn't show the excitement our students have for our new "house system" (from the Ron Clark Academy) that has brought everyone together, taught about teamwork, and is helping kids learn character traits and grow into better citizens.

It doesn't measure the child who spent the entire day in her kindergarten classroom for the first time this year, because she's been working with her teacher on self-control and finally went a day without hitting another child.

It doesn't measure the little boy who's crying in the office, because he doesn't want to go home this weekend and is begging to stay with one of us.  As we consol him and teach him how to live through difficult things.

It doesn't measure that many of our teachers spend HOURS a week attending Little League football, baseball, soccer, and T-Ball games.  Or the dance recitals.  Or the kickboxing competitions. Or the cheer and gymnastics events.

It doesn't measure that we've decreased our ISS and OSS rates by over 90% in less than a year because we've been teaching students how to manage their emotions and react in different situations with respect.

It doesn't measure that we've built a love of reading in our students where teachers are advertising what they're reading, students are sharing book recommendations on campus, checking out library books at unprecdented rates, and reading in during dismissal and arrival (because they WANT to).

It doesn't measure that our Counselor worked with many different families this Christmas season to surprise them with groceries or Christmas gifts so that way they could actually celebrate the season with a little less stress.,

It doesn't measure the countless CPS calls, parent counseling, drug and alcohol lessons/counseling, or sexual abuse that we help kids and families work through.

It doesn't celebrate our innovate teachers who are trying flexible seating, classroom transformations, cross grade-level collaborations, lessons with Olympic Athletes, Skype with classes from across the world, and so much more.

No, what the system judges us on is one test.  One day for some kids.

Does it take into consideration that maybe that morning two of our students were dealing with their father being shot the night before in a fight over drugs and they are having trouble focusing? No.

Does it take into consideration that despite the work we've done to teach them otherwise, a group of 3rd graders are overwhelmed by the pressure put on them by the state to preform for their underperforming school? No.

Does it take into consideration the immense stress our teachers feel to get out of "Improvement Required" or "F" ratings, even though deep down we know we are more than that and we ARE providing a good education? No.

What this system does is create environments that are demeaning to teachers and families. Teachers who are fearful of their jobs because they are doing everything they can to improve scores, but fighting the poverty and emotional battle is just as important.   

The system adds extra pressure on school boards and Superintendent to "fix" schools.

How do I convince my teachers that they are working their butts of and doing a great job of filling in gaps and raising up children, when the state just told them their school is failing?

How do I convince my parents that the school their sending their children too is a school that is truly changing lives AND educating their children at higher ways than we have every done before, when the state just told them their school is failing?

How do I convince my students that they are NOT the cause of our low test scores.  That they are not failures.  That instead they are inquisitive, bright, energetic, world-changing kids who despite their home challenges still come to school every day ready to learn, even though the state just told them their school is failing?

It's a battle.  A battle every day to not define the work our school is doing because of a standardized exam.  An exam that doesn't truly measure the work we do. 

But fight on I will.  And fight on WE must.

We have to speak up and share the greatness that goes on in behind our school walls, even when the state says we're a failure.

We have to rise up and show up every day to give our kids and parents the best education they could ever dream or hope for.

When you work in an environment that is overcome by poverty, you realize what these ratings do to a community.

And I will not be silent.  I will not complain behind school walls or in small groups of educators.

What I will do is I will shout from the rooftops and in every forum I can find, about the INCREDIBLE work my team does on a daily basis.

What I will do is write my state legislatures.  I will call them.  I will march to Austin if I have to.

What I will do remind my students that they are wonderful.  That they are more than ANY test score will ever tell them they are.

What I will do is tell my team, as often as I can, the wonderful work they do and that the countless hours they put in are not wasted.

What I will do is continually share with our parents how hard their children, and the staff at our school, are working, in a broken system, to give their children the best education possible.

My question is though, will you join me?

Fear #KidsDeserveIt

Fear. When you think about that word I think we all have something different we think of.  Some have a fear of snakes or spiders.  Others may fear the thought of losing someone or dying alone. And in the education system we have fears too.

The fear of failure is one. We work in a system where someone is always judging us. They watch our classroom management, our understanding of the standards, our interactions with our students, our interactions with our peers, our curriculum planning and more.  We all handle fear in different ways too.

Some of us do what is minimally expected without getting in trouble so that we can coast by and make things easier on ourselves and limit the possibility of failure.  Some of our are so controlled by our fear that it can stop us in our tracks and make us perform worse than we could have imagined.  Some of us are good at facing our fears and we tackle each one as they come.

The thing to realize is that all of us has fears in our professional careers.  But what we can't ever do is let that fear control us and the decisions we make.

We have to not only find ways within ourselves to face our fears BUT we also have to continually lean on those around us to help us face our fears.

I think about the things I've faced, and am still facing in my career.  There have been countless times where I convinced myself that I could fix it on my own.  That I could face it on my own.  And every time I come back to the realization that we weren't meant to do this alone.

And yes it's scary asking someone for help or even allowing them to see that I'm not strong enough to do it on my own.  But time and time again, when I allow those walls of insecurity to come down, I find that there's someone on the other side who connects with my fear, or understands it, or is willing to help me through it because they care.

Fear can control us if we let it.  But what we have to remember is that we're all growing.  We're all facing struggles and battles and our own insecurities.  Some of us are really good at sharing those, while others aren't.  But when fear begins to creep into our lives. When it begins to cause us to stumble or lose our breath, or doubt our gifts and abilities, that is just the moment where we find our people and lean on them to remind us.

And if you're struggling finding your people, reach out to those online.  We're all in this together and if you can't find someone who can help you, maybe we can.  Or maybe we can help you find that person.  The only true weakness is when we don't seek out the compassion and help of others.

My friend, Brad Montague (who also just happened to create Kid President) filmed this beautiful story about facing his own fear. I love it so much and share it everywhere. Could be great to share with your students too.  The world is a scary place. Share anyway.