Step by Step

I am not a linear learner. Following step by step directions is not my strong suit, to say the least. Putting together furniture is an adventure that involves figuring out for myself the best order to assemble, sometimes using trial and error. So when I started exploring SPSS statistics software, I just jumped in with both feet and started playing. 

But last week I was stuck waiting for a meeting to start, and desperate for something to do, so I started reading through the SPSS Survival Guide on my iPad. Turns out I was missing a lot using my non-linear strategy!  I kept thinking, "Wow! It can do THAT?"

So now I'm following some of the exercises in the book. Not all, of course, that would be crazy! But being able to play with the numbers, sort in different ways, and identify patterns is the fun stuff, and I was missing that. Those are also the skills I'm going to need in order to conduct research, analyze results, and publish anything that will have any value. 

Make a Difference

What you leave behind isn't what's engraved in stone monuments, but what's woven into the lives of others.     -Pericles

Today at the Liberty Principal Summit, the principal told the story of Malik. She told us how she kept telling Malik that he was a good boy. Every time he came to the office on a behavior referral, she told him she knew he was a good boy inside, he was smart and hard-working, and that he could do better. By the end of the year, Malik was hitting less and smiling more. He went from basic to proficient. Most importantly, at the end of the year Malik said, I AM a good boy. That personal connection is something that makes a big difference to our kids' success. 

Sitting in the AP office, I see a lot of behavior referrals. I see students who have been told they are troublemakers, that they can't learn, that they are "bad". Of course I have to help the understand that their behavior is unacceptable. But I also need to let them know that I believe they can do better. I need to help them identify strategies that they own that help them to take charge of their own learning and behavior. And I need to help students believe that not only do they have the power to implement the strategies, but once they do they will see results. 

One of the main reasons I wanted to go back to a school site is to live the belief that I can make a difference in the life of a student. Every interaction is an opportunity to do just that. 

My (re)Introduction to Statistics

I have always found statistics interesting. My dad, a mathematician, used to quote Mark Twain quoting Disraeli, “ "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." He encouraged us kids to play with numbers; manipulate them in different ways and play with displays in order to prove our point. I thought it was a fun way to turn numbers into propaganda. Who would have thought that now, 35 years later, it would become useful?

Licensed Image from PresenterMedia.com

I feel like my conceptual understanding of basic statistics is pretty good. I struggle a bit with the right vocabulary, but I understand the point of the the various ways of sorting and analyzing data. I think one of my challenges in a statistics course is going to be to use the right vocabulary so that others know what I am talking about, and that I’m able to make sense of more complex statistical concepts. I was surprised at how easy SPSS was to deal with once I got the hang of the interface, but I guess that’s true of most things! I liked the very basic activities that we did, because it allowed me to focus on the interface, and not try to make sense of the data. I know it will get more difficult, but I’m feeling reasonably confident for the moment that I’ll be able to figure things out!

I guess as adults we need that sort of scaffolding too!

First Day of School

It has been a long time since I've had "first day of school jitters." Working at the County Office on a year-round schedule, first days of school held little relevance beyond the ways we scheduled training with our districts. But this year, returning to a school site (well, two school sites!), I had the opportunity to experience again the excitement and fear that come with new beginnings.

My first day of work was the first day of school. I had met the principal, but none of the teachers and of course none of the students. I am new to the district, and new to the role of assistant principal. I knew I was walking in blind, and I knew I would be expected to know a variety of things and address a variety of issues that were completely foreign to me. What could be less comfortable? And yet, I was so excited to just jump in to the deep end, and hope I could figure out how to swim!

It's definitely been a long week, and I know I've got many more long days and weeks ahead of me before I get my feet firmly underneath me. But it is so much fun to come home at the end of the energized with all of the new things I've learned, the new students and teachers I've met, and challenges I've conquered. I can't wait to continue!