~MoVe YoUr BuS~ Chapters 25-26

Good Morning All~

I hope everyone is enjoying our #D100BloggerPD thus far…we are nearing the end of our journey with Ron Clark and his book Move Your Bus. I was given the charge of reflecting on chapters 25 -26, which totals about 9 pages so this will be short and sweet.

If you have been following along, by now all of you know the drivers, riders, walkers, joggers, and runners, in your organization.  As a driver, one of the many jobs you have is SHOWING YOUR WALKERS HOW TO IMPROVE!  The strategy that Ron Clark suggests is being a good ROLE MODEL!  Yes, everyone knows that they need to be a good role model for students/children, but I wonder how many drivers actually think about this in regards to their staff?!? 

Being a driver means many things and comes with an enormous list of responsibilities. Being a good role model is quite high on that list.  My take away here is that you can’t just direct as the driver.  You absolutely need to get your hands dirty.  Dive right in and lead by example.  As a principal, you could easily sit in your office all day reading and responding to emails, but is that really being present?  I think leading by example means that teachers in my organization see me struggle with decisions; They need to see my work ethic and know that I am willing to go above and beyond for the good of our kids and our team.  This could mean subbing in a classroom when there are no substitutes available, taking down or putting up a bulletin board, being present in classrooms, doing whatever needs doing.  

Making sure that my teachers know my expectations and know what success looks like is a key component to getting those walkers to start picking up the pace. Being a life-long learner and being able to say, “I don’t know, but I will find out,” and learning from my mistakes are things that make me human and will also make me a great driver (I hope). This doesn’t sound much different from what my teachers do day in and day out with their students.

In order to get those walkers to pick up the pace, you have to form relationships and find out what motivates them to be their very best self.  Create high expectations and make sure the staff is equipped with the necessary tools to get the job done. 

Thanks for stopping by to check out my reflection on Chapters 25-26 of Move Your Bus by Ron Clark.  I have got to hand it to the lovely ladies that have covered the chapters before me in this installment of the #D100BloggerPD… You gals are killin’ it!  Make sure to check out Michelle at Big Time Literacy on 2/26 for the next post!