The Astronomical Cost of Comp Time

Every decent school leader recognizes the need to train staff.  And since there is never enough time during the school year, the summer with its glorious span of empty calendar dates always seems like an untapped resource.  I, for one, am a fan of organized summer training.  But there is always the legitimate question of compensation for those attendees who are off contract (generally teachers). There are essentially four answers to the question. 

1. There is the, “They need to be here if they value their job,” intimidation answer.  Usually espoused by those who no longer teach, have longer contracts and are getting paid to work during the summer.  If you catch yourself doing this, it is a moron move, so stop immediately.

2. There is the, “We used the budget to book the great training, so if you are interested please come,” answer. This isn’t the best circumstance, but you will be surprised by how many teachers attend if you actually ask them too and explain the benefits of the training.   If you do this once, OK.  If you make a habit of doing it every summer, you are taking advantage of your staff.

3. There is the, “We booked the training and budgeted a stipend for those who attend,” answer.  This is the best answer.  It recognizes that no matter how valuable the training, it is only fair to compensate your staff for their off contract time and attention.

4. Finally, there is the, “Attend the training and you will earn comp time you can use during the upcoming school year,” answer.  This is a horrible, yet all too common solution that tricks very smart and capable school leaders every year.  On the face of it, it seems to compensate staff for their time at almost no cost.  But that is the lie.  The costs are astronomical.  Let me explain why this is the case through a couple of examples:

• The teacher earns a comp day by attending an off contract summer training.  Then the teacher takes the comp day on an instructional day.  The school hires a sub for the teacher taking the comp day.  Here is the actual cost of this scenario

          Summer training pay: $0.00

          Teacher pay on comp day: $275.00

          Substitute teacher pay on comp day: $100.00

          Opportunity cost: 1 day of quality instruction, times the number of  students taught by the teacher.

            
Actual Cost: $375.00, plus one day lost of quality instruction for students. A darn expensive solution.

• The teacher earns a comp day by attending an off contract summer training.  Then the teacher takes the comp day comp day on a non-instructional day.  Here is the actual cost of this scenario.

          Summer training pay: $0.00

          Teacher pay on comp day: $275.00

          Opportunity cost: 1 day of training, planning or collaboration with peers.

          
Actual Cost: $275.00 plus one day lost of quality training, planning or collaboration with teammates and peers. A darn expensive solution.

So the best answer is back to Answer #3.  Here is the math for this scenario.

• The teacher is paid a training stipend for participating in an off contract summer training.  The training stipend should be at least the amount of a substitute teacher day rate. The teacher does not take a comp day during the school year

          Summer training pay: $100.00 to $275.00

          Teacher pay on a regular contract day: $275.00

          Opportunity cost: $0

         
Actual Cost: $375.00 to $550.00 with no opportunity cost.

That is the affordable solution.

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/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Resume Reminders

Just a couple reminders about your resume.

First, you should update your resume at least once a year.  Add your new accomplishments and cull the experiences that are now ancient history.  You should do this just prior to your annual appraisal. It's a great way to be prepared to discuss the year in a way that showcases your areas of strengths.  If you don’t have to sit for an annual appraisal, updating your resume is still a good practice. Many grants, presentation proposals, requests for testimony, and contracts now require the inclusion of a resume.

Second, if you are looking for a new job or think that you may soon be looking for a new job, update your resume every six months.

Third, if you are searching for a Principal or Assistant Principal job, don’t forget the rule of 100 (first shared with me by one of my mentors, Dr. Richard Hooker).

It takes 100 applications...

To get 10 interviews...

To get 1 job.

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/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: ESC 11 Summer Conference (Keynote Presentation); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

How Do I Verify What You See?

In a recent presentation, a school board member asked me an excellent question.  He asked, “You have all this classroom instruction data that LYS collects, but how do we verify that it is correct?”

The question illustrates the value of board members.  Board members attack the problems of schools from a different perspective and with a different experience base.  They are often the ones that force the system to think instead of react.  The question should be asked every time I present (we, LYS, ask it of every piece of data we use), but it isn’t.  Here is the answer.

Initially, a district really can’t verify our data.  There is no one on site who has the expertise or the necessary tools (not an indictment, just a function of opportunity and access).  The district could hire employees from other districts that LYS has trained.  But those people usually aren’t immediately available, and if you don’t yet believe LYS, why would you believe a LYSer?  However, when LYS works with a district, we train the staff to collect meaningful, objective data and we provide the district with access to LYS tools.  Verification isn’t immediate but it is forthcoming and it is provided by the district’s own employees. 

The goal of LYS is to create instructional systems that produce increasing student performance and are self-sustaining.  If we can’t train a district’s staff to replicate our observations and results, then we have failed.

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/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: ESC 14 Sumer Conference (Keynote Presentation); ESC 11 Summer Conference (Keynote Presentation); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Top LYS Tweets From the Week of June 8, 2014

A number of you in the LYS Nation are now Twitter users.  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 June 8, 2014.

1. Congratulations to LYSer, Helen Smith! She is the new principal at Cedar Ridge Elementary School!! Who will be next? (By @LYSNation)

2. Capacity building is not a one-time event. It is an everyday activity. What are you doing to build capacity within yourself and others? (By @JasonJj7)

3. “Hard work trumps everything.” (By @mike_metz)

4. Diverting from a plan does not mean you had a poor plan. It means you need to be flexible and adjust to meet the goal. (By @TinneyTroy)

5. Great rule for teaching AND coaching - Teach the right thing, teach it better, and teach it longer.  (By @coachwommack)

6. Pacing is extremely important.  If students never see the material, they have no chance of success on the assessment.  (By @breckq)

7. Having a Scope & Sequence and not using it is the same as not having one.  Must implement the Scope & Sequence with fidelity. (By @breckq)

8. Talk and write.  Write and talk.  (By @scot_wright)

9. We must TEACH appropriate behavior, not just expect that our kids know how to behave. (By @cheryljhunt)

10. A leader's principles are best articulated through his/her actions. (By @TinneyTroy)

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/Fundamental5
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: Texas ASCD Summer Conference; ESC 14 Sumer Conference (Keynote Presentation); ESC 11 Summer Conference (Keynote Presentation); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Resumes - Ways to Separate From the Pack

In response to the 6/5/2014 post, “Resume Basics,” I’ve had some readers asked me to better explain what I had in mind when I stated that you need to separate yourself from the pack.  Here are five things that can do just that.

 

1. Find a problem, solve it, and show the results.  Everyone can point out the myriad of things that aren’t working on a campus, any campus.  Pick one of those things (that actually matters), create a solution, work the solution and document the improvement.

2. Coach staff, describe process, and show the results.  First year attrition is a significant problem in education.  Take a group of rookies under your wing and spend a year coaching them up.  Document their success compared to other first year hires in the district.

3. Speak and present.  For a profession that is based on talking, it is surprising how most educators avoid speaking to large groups.  Send in a proposal to talk at a state or national conference. Get accepted and present and you have now done something that 95% of other educators have not.

4. Train staff or peers.  Become an expert in a process or skill and start training other people.  It could be your team, your campus or teachers from across the district.  Everyone “knows” what people should do. Any moron can tell people what to do.  It is a unique person who can train adult to successfully implement what should be done.

5. Seek out challenges and show the result.  I don’t fault anyone who works in “safe” settings.  But do know that you probably don’t stand out. On the other hand, if you want to be noticed, take the road less traveled and move the needle in a positive direction.  That will move your resume to the “interesting” pile.

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/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas ASCD Summer Conference; ESC 14 Sumer Conference (Keynote Presentation); ESC 11 Summer Conference (Keynote Presentation); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook

Commencement Address - Four Practices

Last week I had the honor of being the commencement speaker at a local high school graduation. I had a great time and the students were fantastic.  Below is the draft of my speech.

When Dr. Laird asked that I speak to you on this exciting day, I was both honored and confused.  Honored to have a small role in this milestone event in your young lives.  Confused by what I could offer you on this day. 

I could tell you about myself, but really that story is only interesting to me and my parents.  So we will skip most of that.  The only thing about me that is pertinent today is that I am AN old (by your definition) former principal that has had success in both my life and career beyond anything I ever imagined when I was sitting at my high school graduation. 

So as we celebrate, what I consider to be the last day of your childhood, I want to share with you some guidelines for adulthood that I wish someone had shared with me.

Now I have graduated 3 times and I have to be honest I don’t remember one thing about any of the commencement speakers, much less the content of their speeches. Nada. Zilch.  And of course I blame them. They didn’t understand their audience.  I won’t make their mistake.  See, you don’t know me, you are not my students, and as of now you are not even in school.  You are, at least until the beginning of the Fall Semester, adults in the workforce.  So I don’t want to talk to you, I want to hire you for about the next 15 minutes. 

(Hand out note taking templates)

What you have just received is a note taking template and your pay for engaging in this task.  I going to talk, you’ll take some notes and then you will get to talk. 

Parents, family and friends, you can join us, but sadly you will have to serve the role of unpaid intern.  But I’m sure the experience will be reward enough.

Ready...

Let’s start with this, if in ten years you look back and think that your experience as a high school student is the highlight of your life, then everyone in this room has failed. Everything to this point has been to prepare you to be kicked out to where the action is, to climb to ever-greater heights, accomplishments and experiences. This has been the training wheels segment of your life. Now is the time to kick the training wheels off.

So write this down, if you ever hear yourself saying something along the lines of, “Back when I was in High School, those were the good times...” stop and instead say, “After I graduated from High School, then it really got good.”

So how do you make that happen?

First know this.  Hard work trumps everything.  Hard work trumps IQ. Hard work trumps connections. Hard work trumps luck. If it is work worth doing, do it hard at full speed.  Adult life is a tournament.  The harder you work, the longer you stick with it, the further you will go.  Slow down, coast or quit, and I guarantee that you will get passed by someone not quite as good who is still moving and breaking a sweat.

So let’s have a quick 30-second conversation with your neighbors.  What are you going to do this summer to get a jump on all the graduates from the other high schools in Texas who don’t know about the power of hard work?

Second, I want you to THINK... Think a lot and think deeply.  Think about what you are working hard on.  How can you do it better, more efficiently, more effectively? How does it connect with other things?  This is where you add to your value, make yourself more marketable and increase your competitive advantage in the tournament that is life and career.  Sweat and reflection is an almost unbeatable combination.

Now I have shared that hard work and deep thinking is key to success in the tournament of adult life.  But that success has to have context, which brings me to my next point. Third, you must have a generous heart.  Yes, life is a tournament, but those who are the happiest, those that create a legacy, they compete to make things better for others.  If you are playing just for you, that is a miserable existence and you will become a miserable person. Give time, give money, and give yourself.  You will be richer because of it and it will add meaning to your hard work and deep thinking.

Time for one more quick talk with your neighbors.  Do you agree with what I have shared so far? Why or why not?

Finally, vote.  Vote a lot. Vote in every election.  Vote so much that you regret some of the votes you make.  In this last primary only 4% of eligible voters voted.  Our community, our state and our country are stronger when hard working, thinking, generous people vote. Those in politics will only be responsive to the needs of you and yours, if you participate.  No matter what anyone wants you to believe, you are ready. Participate.

I ask you to follow your passion and follow the four practices I have shared with you. Work Hard. Think Deeply. Have a Generous Heart. Vote. Do these things and you can’t help make everyone in this room proud.

Graduates of 2014, thank you again for allowing me to share in this first, but not to be the last, of your major life accomplishments.  Good luck and God bless.

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/Fundamental5 
• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “Look at Me: A Cautionary School Leadership Tale” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/lookatmebook 
• Now at the Apple App Store: Fun 5 Plans (Fundamental 5 Lesson Plan Tool); PW Lite (Basic PowerWalks Tool); PW Pro (Mid-level PowerWalks Tool) 
• Upcoming Presentations: TASSP Summer Conference (Multiple Presentations); Texas ASCD Summer Conference; ESC 14 Sumer Conference (Keynote Presentation); ESC 11 Summer Conference (Keynote Presentation); NEASP National Conference; The Fundamental 5 National Summit (Keynote Presentation) 
• Follow Sean Cain and LYS on www.Twitter.com/LYSNation  and like Lead Your School on Facebook