Kara is an assistant principal at Edwin Lowe Elementary in New Town North Dakota.

  • Her generation doesn’t feel that people are coming in to take away their culture.
  • There’s nothing we can’t learn from each other.
  • How to help kids choose to be in education: Be that outstanding teacher!
  • Having authentic conversations.
  • History of Indian Education in America.
  • Boarding schools were opened up. Goal was to assimilate the natives.
  • Have to be willing to learn to respect their culture.
  • Pow-Wows are very vital.
  • Community
  • Being fair, being willing to learn from others.
  • To help students, you need to have a good relationship.
  • Pair people up with support staff.
  • Providing resources for students as they are growing and developing.
  • Mediators help bridge the gap.
  • How paraprofessionals can help. They need lots of training.
  • In the eyes of the student, there is not much difference between paraprofessionals and teachers.
  • How to be a transformative principal: Maintain work-life balance, be authentic and have authentic conversations.
  • Expect teachers to be accountable for their work.
  • Twitter is a educational toolbox.

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Kara is an assistant principal at Edwin Lowe Elementary in New Town North Dakota.

  • Grew up Cheyenne-Sioux South Dakota.
  • Foster education.
  • Emancipated as a young adult.
  • Knew what it took to survive in life.
  • Dropped out of High School.
  • Started school again in her 20s.
  • Life on the reservation due to socio-economic and other issues.
  • She saw the world starting to pass her by.
  • Writing a paragraph sounds so simple to most people, but it is very difficult if you haven’t done it in 14 years.
  • Working on a Doctorate.
  • So much to give back now to others.
  • No student cannot succeed when they have the resources to be successful.
  • Uncle was a good mentor.
  • Making connections instructors.
  • Not being afraid to ask questions that were on my mind.
  • Most people want to help others.
  • You have to be open to saying “I don’t know”
  • You have to be reflective.
  • Be reflective in your successes.
  • Need to relax, slow down, and wait for things to happen.
  • Felt drawn back to the reservation.
  • Groomed to teach in Bismarck, but felt that working on a reservation would be more appropriate.
  • Throw-away kids - Kara wants to advocate for them.

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Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.

Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.

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Teacher-led Professional Development with Nathan Adams Transformative Principal 107

Nathan has been a special education teacher for 8 years. He has taught in middle, high, and elementary levels.

  • Teacher led professional development
  • Sponsored by the local teacher’s union.
  • Joined the union that has supported him, in an effort to give back.
  • Idea of helping general education teachers and special education teachers understand the needs of each other.
  • Brotherhood of professionals.
  • Need to find a way to offer this for credit to improve skills but also have incentive.
  • NEA grant that supported professional development for teachers teaching teachers.
  • Institute for Professional Development.
  • Will align in the future to make the district PD calendar aligned with what the association is wanting.
  • Surveyed members to determine what they wanted to learn.
  • This is a perk/benefit for the members of the association.
  • Challenge is finding the time to make this happen.
  • Highlights: Teachers posted what they found beneficial from the courses.
  • Google Certified Teacher, Level I and II.
  • Teachers were responsive to the things they were learning.
  • Advice: Continue to use good teaching strategies. But don’t be demeaning.
  • District started doing magnet schools.
  • Principal that just started in the position.
  • Teacher leader for educational technology.
  • Personable leader, understands the field, understands the kids.
  • Ambassador as a teacher.
  • Weekly email from the principal.
  • Staff meetings are held in a different teacher’s classroom each week.
  • What are we going to do that week that is interesting?
  • Principal asks how he can support us.
  • How to be a transformative principal: Trust the people that are working for you.

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Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher

Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.

Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.

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Kristin Bentley is a 2nd grade teacher in a Title I school.

She created an awesome app that helps manage classroom behavior: Color My Day

Introductory Video

  • Why use this rather than Class Dojo.
  • Think Time forms and Office Discipline Referrals are built-in to the app.
  • Shoutout to Tricia Skyles
  • ODRs going down means nothing if teacher morale is going up.
  • The process of creating an app from the ground up.
  • Crayons and paper
  • Lucidchart
  • Found a graphic designer.
  • Found a programmer.
  • Tell people about your ideas, find out what people are looking for in their schools.
  • Do something to make people’92s lives easier.
  • Make sure it is not something extra for teachers or admins to implement.
  • Need 3 people: Expert, designer, and developer.
  • Three ways to get it off the ground: pay someone, find someone to buy into your vision, find investors.
  • Planbook
  • Support teachers who are building apps to support students.

Subscribe in iTunes

Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher

Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.

Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.

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New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal


Kristin Bentley is a 2nd grade teacher in a Title I school.

She created an awesome app that helps manage classroom behavior: Color My Day

  • Using card pulls is not very effective.
  • Clip charts use separate clips to show that positive and negative behavior.
  • The two clips gave the ’93naughty’94 kids a chance to have a good day.
  • Goal for card pulls is to stay positive.
  • Card pulls don’92t give chances for kids to see what they can accomplish.
  • Clips change kids self-esteem.
  • Physical chart helps kids see and experience changes. Digital version allows teachers to collect and analyze data.
  • Think Time form allows student to fill out the form with teacher and record it in the app.
  • Data is collected school-wide and allows teachers to customize their individual reasons for clips up and down.
  • Digital version of clip chart allows teachers to have data to collect and prepare for RTI, special ed referrals, and more.
  • The app keeps track of the ratio of positive to negative ratios.
  • Very powerful for teachers to see how they are interacting with their students.
  • Teaches them a truth that we are both good and bad, and not just one or the other.
  • Discounts available by mentioning this podcast. Huge discount for teachers.
  • colormydaykids.com colormydaykids@gmail.com.

Subscribe in iTunes

Please take a moment to rate this podcast in iTunes or on Stitcher

Ready for a Modern Web Site for your school? Simple School Sites is the place to go for high quality Wordpress sites specially designed for schools.

Please follow me on Twitter: @jethrojones for the host and @TrnFrmPrincipal for the show.

Buy Communication Cards

Show notes on TransformativePrincipal.com

Download Paperless Principal.  

Sanebox

Sponsor: Sanebox

Web Site

Transformative Principal on Stitcher

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New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal