The Ten Things (04-20-09)

This week I had the privilege to attend another principals' conference, a single day spring “retreat,” hosted by the Kansas Association of Elementary School Principals (KAESP).

The keynote speaker was Dr. Andy Tompkins, former Kansas commissioner of education. He talked about the recent budget cuts and the future of No Child Left Behind. More than anything, he offered insights from his many years in education.

The closing was given by Tom Coles, a dynamic speaker who goes in to schools to talk on a wide range of character education issues, from bullying to suicide. Speaking in the afternoon, he had us up out of our seats with several cooperative activities designed for us to use with our staffs and our students.

In between were wonderful break-out sessions presented by Kansas educators. I learned from the Kansas Teacher of the Year how to treat the “star performers” in my school. This was useful, as I consider all my teachers to be stars. I learned more ways to create a unified and fun school climate from an Augusta elementary, recently named a National Blue Ribbon School.

The best break-out though, came from a local source, a PE teacher from Norton. Because I often lead “inside-recess” activities, I am always on the lookout for new physical education activities to have the kids play when they are stuck in the gym during bad weather. I have learned so much this year from Hill City’s own PE Superstars, Janella Benoit and Brad Schafer, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see what is being done in other schools.

Therefore, I decided to sit in on a session that would show how to connect PE activities with the academic classroom. The presenter was Joan Bolt, the elementary PE teacher from Norton. Ms. Bolt was also a former Teacher of the Year, as well as serves on the Kansas and National Boards for Physical Education. She has applied for and received multiple grants to bring various programs into her PE classroom. She is big on using non-traditional activities, such as juggling, cup-stacking, Bal-A-Vis-X, and numbered directional dance mats, all things that promote cooperation, coordination, and most importantly, brain development.

Much of what she demonstrated were activities Mrs. Benoit and Mr. Schafer already use with our kids. The best information she presented was something she threw in at the end of her presentation, something she included not to further our knowledge of physical education, but to inspire us to be better principals.

She told her kids, K-6, that she would be presenting for a bunch of principals and asked the students to write down advice on how to be a great principal. From the hundreds of responses, she presented us with a top ten list, based on the responses that were given then most.

Wow! Even though I did not write down the list, the items stuck in my brain. With all the books and all the “experts” on effective building leadership, I was blown away by the quality of advice offered by elementary school students. As I heard their comments, I realized that how much there is to be gained by listening to them.

Of course, listening to the students was on the list. Here is the list, in no particular order, as best I can remember:

1. Listen to us. Let us explain what happened when we are sent to your office.
2. Give us second chances.
3. Be mean when you have to be mean.
4. Be fair. Don’t have favorites.
5. Get involved in school contests. Kiss pigs, take pies in the face, dress up silly, etc.
6. Eat lunch with us. Play with us at recess.
7. Be in the hallways and come into our classrooms. We want to see you!
8. Talk to us on the daily announcements. We want to hear you!
9. Wear cool ties.
10. Be fun.

Again, I give these in no particular order, though personally, I think “Be Fun” should be number one on any elementary principal’s list of things to do.

Basically, this list simply reaffirmed what I have always said about the importance of building relationships with kids. Elementary kids in particular, call out for you to get involved in their lives. Yes, they acknowledge that sometimes, as a principal, you have to “be mean”, but they also want you to be seen, heard, be involved, and overall, to make learning fun.

This list was the cherry on top of another delicious KAESP conference. Thank you, USD 281, for sending me out yet again. Thank you KAESP for selecting such amazing people to present. And thank you kids for reminding me what being a grade school principal is all about.