A LYS Principal Submits... The Importance of the Power Zone

LYS Principal submits the following:

SC,

I just had an experience that has convinced me that there is no more important instructional practice than Working in the Power Zone.

One of my teachers brought a student to my office to complete his work. He had made some poor choices in class. The teacher gave him his assignment he was to work on and clearly stated the instruction, “Write why it is important to follow instructions.”

I was taking care of some paperwork so I let the student work quietly while I was stuck in my ‘instructor work area.’ Multi-tasking, I occasionally asked the student a guiding question that I thought would focus his ‘critical writing,’ which of course required him to write why it is important to follow instructions. And his verbal responses to my questions were to my satisfaction. When I left my "instructor work area" to get in the "Power Zone", I discovered the student had been busy writing. Just not writing what the teacher and I envisioned. Instead, he had written, over and over again, the sentence, “Why is it important to follow directions?”

I had to laugh at this great reminder of how simple tasks still need our “eyes” for student success.

SC Response

Great story and a testament to how when we allow our attention to be divided between what is critical (students and instruction) and what is pressing (paperwork and administrivia) how quickly student effort is wasted.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation
• Get the Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan App at the App Store – Fun 5 Plans
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principal’s Mid-Winter Conference; Region 16 ESC Leadership Academy (Keynote Address); NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

A LYS Assistant Principal Submits... Dr. Jim Davis, Our LYS Coach

A new LYS Assistant Principal submits the following:

SC,

I just want to let you know how much I appreciate Dr. Jim Davis. He has gone out of his way to make sure I had an opportunity to make up the training on the Fundamental 5 modules I had missed. Not only has he been very accommodating, he has been very pleasant and very professional. (He also went out of his way to set me up with an additional account so that I could have complete access to all PowerWalks data at both campuses I am assigned to). I have thoroughly enjoyed each of the training modules. He is an excellent presenter. The information I have gained in each of the trainings is very beneficial and I am pleased to have had the opportunities to gain this knowledge. Lead Your School is an excellent program. I look forward to any future trainings and/or updates. My thanks, again, to Dr. Davis.

SC Response

Thank you for your note and I agree. Dr. Davis has been a steady and guiding influence on me for over ten years now. There is no question that he is one of the “Good Guys.” And if the LYS Nation is wondering who is this Dr. Jim Davis, many of you know him by his alias, “The Big Easy.”

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation
• Get the Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan App at the App Store – Fun 5 Plans
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principal’s Mid-Winter Conference; Region 16 ESC Leadership Academy (Keynote Address); NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

A LYS (and Game On!) Principal Shares... The Cleaning Fairy

A LYS Principal shares a team memo from her Game On! campus. If you are new to the blog, the Game On! campuses are LYSers on steroids. Their performance is legendary. Now the memo:

The Cleaning Fairy made a few stops this weekend! I know you LOVE it when she comes for a visit :)

Just a few things to note before our visitors on Wednesday....

1. Check the corners of things on the wall.... all corners should be tacked down.

2. Check the anchor charts.... all charts should be level.

3. Check for Junky Corner Disease.... if you have corners that are beginning to look like a storage facility, clean them out.

4. Check the for THE PILE-UP...You know, those things that become "piles" in your room :)

The Cleaning Fairy will be stopping by daily... make her proud!

Bell's Battalion will RISE to the Challenge!

SC Response

If you think the focus on cleanliness and appearance is over the top, you should see how a Game On! campus attacks and devours performance data.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation
• Get the Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan App at the App Store – Fun 5 Plans
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principal’s Mid-Winter Conference; Region 16 ESC Leadership Academy (Keynote Address); NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

A LYS Superintendent and Principal Share... A Powerful Staff

Here is a field report from a LYS campus in a LYS District.

SC,

See what our 4th grade teachers are wearing on Thursdays. They designed the shirts. Thought you might enjoy this!

SC Response

Awesome!!! These teachers are the runaway winners of my “Favorite Fourth Grade Team of the Week” award!

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation
• Get the Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan App at the App Store – Fun 5 Plans
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principal’s Mid-Winter Conference; Region 16 ESC Leadership Academy (Keynote Address); NASSP Conference; NASB Conference

Top LYS Tweets from the Week of December 4, 2011

“Students with access to educational materials on smart phones study about 40 minutes longer each week” (StudyBlue).

How is that for a quote? When I ask secondary teachers what are the main hindrances to campus academic performance, the consistent answers are:

A. The students don’t turn in homework.

B. The students don’t study.

C. The students don’t care about school.

So considering the complaints of teachers and the findings of StudyBlue, if I was still a principal, how could I not encourage the use of bootleg technology on my campus?

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now using your own bootleg technology devices to follow Twitter. If you haven’t done so yet, we want you to join us. To let you see what you are missing, here are the Top 10 LYS Tweets from the week of December 4, 2011, as tabulated by the accountants at Price Waterhouse.

1. School starts when the students arrive, not when the adults decide to start working.

2. You are going to have to: 1) Tell your people. 2) Show your people. 3) Monitor your people. 4) Repeat.

3. Manage the small stuff, diligently, and the big stuff never happens.

4. When you send the memo before the conversation, you are managing, not leading.

5. Shared by a high school principal, "Wow! Just finished your book. The Fundamental 5 is exactly what we need."

6. The big shift in the US over the past 20 years is not a rise in regulations & taxation but a decline in investment. (By @FareedZakaria)

7. In Texas, we're not closing schools due to educator mismanagement. We're closing them due to a Rick Perry created funding deficit.

8. Districts that are concerned about not having enough computers for on-line testing are admitting that they have ignored technology infrastructure.

9. You don't need a 1:1 environment for on-line testing. You need an adequate number of devices and a testing schedule.

10. On a new Amazon.com recommendation list for education books, The Fundamental 5, is number seven on the list.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com! http://tinyurl.com/4ydqd4t
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation
• Get the Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan App at the App Store – Fun 5 Plans
• Confirmed 2012 Presentations: Region 16 ESC Leadership Academy (Keynote Address); NASSP Conference; NASB Conference