Have a Good Life

Part 2 of my interview with Colin Andrews.

• How Colin hires great teachers
• Colin doesn’t ask any interview questions, he just listens to his VPs ask all the questions.
• An online form for parents to fill out student’s absences.
• How Colin inspires people to be the best they can be and ensure students have global, authentic connections.
• Sister schools in China, Korea, Japan, mainland USA and Kodiak, AK.
• How he gets connections with other schools in the country.
• How he took the school from $800 in the bank when he started to $200K for materials and PD.
• Global connections so kids can think about how to talk to kids across the ocean.
• Goal to connect each class to two overseas classrooms.
• Picks books relevant to his locale’s native culture and other native cultures in the other schools and share them with the students.
• How Colin started connecting with the schools he partners with now (No mention of Twitter!)
• How to be a transformative principal: Open doors for other people. “Give it a Go”
• What keeps him going: his grandchildren.
• Connect with Colin

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New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

This week I interview Colin Andrews, principal of Blockhouse Bay Intermediate School in Auckland, New Zealand. Mr. Andrews is inspiring. He is doing so much cool stuff, we didn’t have time to get to everything.

• We start by talking about the learning fellowship that Mr. Andrews did many years ago. A four way study looking at transition from elementary to middle and then to high school.
• Forest, outdoor classroom, pest control, projects all directed by the kids.
• Envirokids, through process of inquiry and student voice that create amazing things.
• Pathway and other Envirokids project
• It is the ability of the teacher to be able to spot a question and really pursue it.
• Structure of envirokids: two-three blocks of time on Fridays, one teacher, about 30 kids.
• Working days for the families, kids need to bring one parent with them to participate in the work day (on the weekend).
• How to make manual labor sound exciting?
• 4 Ethics - Academics, cultural, sporting, and service to the community. Recognized through everything they do all the year long.
• Role of the advisor of Envirokids. One teacher teaches all academic subjects, so she changes her teaching on Friday to focus on the Envirokids.

Sponsor: Sanebox

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New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

In part two of my interview with Jordan Collier, we dive into his plan for observations. Really informative stuff, and a good plan for any administrator.

• Observations - daily schedule.
• Jordan focuses on helping teachers when doing observations.
• Attempting to alleviate fears of observations by building relationships.
• How to facilitate a role-play to help teachers see what it is like to do an observation.
• How a two-minute conversation can change a teacher’s practice.
• The importance of set meeting times with teachers to talk about what they are doing.
• The schedule process.
• The greatest compliment in the world, “You’re never in your office.”
• Trying to get kids to think you are following them because you are in their classes so often.
• You have arrived when you are being invited to teachers’ classrooms.

Had a blast in 8th grade SCI lab. Kids and I learned about bias w/ Fruit Loops, Fruit Spins & Tootie Fruities. pic.twitter.com/ItUEHEhmKU

— Jordan Collier (@JCollierAR) September 2, 2014

• How to have the positive conversation and still focus on improvement.
• Dealing with uncomfortable situations.
• Freaky Friday folder.
• Staff Culture Check! Sign up fo
• Leverage Leadership
• Looking for consistency for staff culture check.
• Friday newsletter.
• What you can do to be a transformative principal like Jordan: Be obnoxiously positive about your school.

Sponsor: Sanebox

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New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Jordan Collier, the principal of Central Arkansas Secondary School is an amazing principal. We barely scratch the surface of what he is doing in this first part of the interview!

• Jordan shares how powerful this podcast has been for him, especially the interview with Sam LeDeaux
• How it is different at a religious school compared to a public school.
• Discipline issues at a private christian school.
• Using Bible study time to work on issues with students.
• Telling the story of @CACMustangs. How the students get in on telling the story.
• Mustang Missions. - Helping kids serve others, love them, and be there for others.

Sponsor: Sanebox

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New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal

Part two of my interview with Sam LeDeaux. You’re going to love it. Here is his blog

• How to balance the need for caring about the teacher with meeting the demands of the state and evaluation system. Evaluation in two simple steps
• Perspective of evaluation “your performance” vs. “service to kids”.
• I want teachers to invite me in for lessons that could go any way and possibly be really different.
• Leaders, strive to be the weak link
• How Twitter has changed his practice. Parents want to observe the classroom to ensure they like what is happening only when you are not transparent.
• Dedicating entire days to being in classrooms, while still managing requirements of his job. The more I am out and about, the less things there will be that pin me in my office. Goal: 8 full days in the class per month.
• Sharing what he learns and fails at with the staff.
• Inspiring Twitterers: @gcouros @justintarte @8amber8, chats, and anyone who is willing to share something is really inspiring.
• How to be a transformative principal: be patiently perseverant.
• What inspires him: his son, is he meeting his son’s expectations for school, because all his students are his sons and daughters!

Sponsor: Sanebox

Web Site

Transformative Principal on Stitcher

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New Episode of @TrnFrmPrincipal