SamTastic Weekly Tip: 11/2/20 - Three in one: Vote. Stay safe. Test Negative.

This week’s tip: Three in one: Vote. Stay safe. Test Negative.

This has been a long election process and a longer struggle with the pandemic. The importance of a positive approach in schools has never been more important.

The SAM process is structured to help leaders find the good in their work and the work of others. It is why great SAMs look for the win each day. What went well? What can we feel good about? This is a critical piece in helping adults, as well as students, move forward.

SamTastic Weekly Tip: 10/12/20 - Accept and Nurture Parents As New Members of your Staff

This week’s tip: Accept and Nurture Parents As New Members of your Staff.

With the pandemic parents and guardians have been elevated to teacher status, a role most did not plan to do or accept. Necessity, though, made this new status a given, not a choice. In a sense, the staff at each school increased dramatically with a new group of adults taking on a new level of responsibility.

Some schools defaulted to a “it is your responsibility” attitude. Many began offering parents and guardians support, just as they have always done with new teachers. It is easy to see which approach works better for students.

We are never returning to normal. Change is an inherent part of life. The question is how to we best serve students, during and after Covid-19? What can we learn?

After World War II, another major world event that changed things forever, Winston Churchill said “Never let a good crisis go to waste”. He was working to create the United Nations, and used what he learned during the war to benefit future generations of world citizens. Perhaps we can learn more from our pandemic crisis than washing hands, wearing masks and social distancing. Perhaps a different kind of parent-school relationship will result that will benefit students now and in the future.

Here are three things you can do today to get started:

1. Schedule an online meeting with a group of teachers and parents who have taken advantage of the new-normal. In other words, their relationships are better and the teachers support the parents with teaching ideas, coaching and empathy. Ask the group what the school can do to support them and other parents.

2. Offer an online Parent Teacher Happy Hour — make it a time to listen to parents/guardians and then share a few remote learning teaching routines that they might employ.

3. Thank parents, even the ones you think aren’t doing enough. Thank your teachers, too. Recognize that this is challenging for everyone and you are in a special leadership position where you can build on even the smallest foundation.

SamTastic Weekly Tip: 10/5/20 - Ask Better Questions

This week’s tip: Ask Better Questions

Asking better questions will make you a far better leader. Hal Gregerson, Wall Street Journal, suggests:

1. Understand what kinds of questions spark creativity. A leader who wants to unleash the creativity in others reframes the problem and invites exploration and new ideas. “What are you wrestling with and how can I help?”

2. Make yourself generate new questions. Instead of commenting on something you observe, ask a question. Be intensely curious.

3. Respond with the power of the pause. Wait, think and ask what the other person thinks. Respond with a question, rather than a statement. When a person asks you what they think they almost always have their own idea. Ask what it is before sharing your own. This builds trust and show interest. It demonstrates that you value what others think.

4. Brainstorm questions. When you are stuck ask your team to brainstorm ideas and questions. This simple strategy often results in great ideas and even better questions.

5. Reward your Questioners. Your job isn’t to have the answer—it is to build the capacity of the people with whom you work. Make clear you value the questions people raise— especially when they don’t match your own thinking. Your response to different ideas will show your team what you value. Do you really value collaborative work? Then you must be willing to accept new ideas and show curiosity—never dismissal.

Instead of saying what you think, ask, instead:

• What do you think?

• What worked?

• What didn’t work?

• What would you like to modify next time?

• Who else would you like to talk with about other things to try?

• What else have you tried?

• What would you like to try next?