August-Get Ready-The Temptations

An early attempt at organization

One thing that has been interesting about my new job is how many little things must get done that no one really knows about.  There are always calls and emails to be returned but there are also so many logistical details that must be done and there never seems to be enough time in the day.  I consider myself a pretty organized person, but this year has challenged my organizational structures and required me to think in new ways about how to get things done. 

Still love getting school supplies for the new school year

I started my new job by cleaning out my new office.  I found all kinds of treasures and spiders and soon had too much to do so piles sat on chairs while I tried to get things done.

Administrators have to keep track of all kinds of things, like security tape.

Working at my table because my desk had too many piles

Schools are complex, there is so much pressure on teachers to not only teach their subjects, but to also encourage students to grow as learners, to be aware of their social-emotional backgrounds, to track data about student performance, improve instruction, collaborate with colleagues, work on individual goals, discuss curriculum as departments, differentiate based on students’ current level of skill, integrate new technologies, the list goes on and on. 

What many teachers are unaware of is that the same pressures face school administrators but at an even more complex level.  This is important to note because the administrative team has to decide how to fit all of the goals into a two hour welcome back presentation that will also hopefully motivate teachers for the year ahead while building a sense of school community and collaboration-it’s a daunting task.  Here’s an example of our planning and brainstorming.

Important conversations about what should be taught and how  could easily take up every minute of my day; however, there are also all kinds of things going on behind the scenes as well, here are a few:

I'm in charge of the book room where students check out books for science, math, and social studies.  In the end of the year chaos and administrative transition, the book room had suffered from neglect and I spent over 40 hours in the two weeks before school in this room getting it ready.  Thank goodness for our main office secretary, library staff, tech services staff, and Parent Advisory Council, who all helped me get it up and running.

Losing my mind in the bookroom.

Enlisting all friends and family to help with a book casualty

Ready for Freshman Orientation

  

I'm also in charge of the study hall schedule which means I needed to take the master schedule and match up each teacher with a nine week study hall session during one of their planning periods.  This also involved a lot of help from people who had worked on it in the past as well as a lot of logistical planning.

Pre-school meeting schedule to learn what I need to know for my new job.