Stop Doing Things That Do Not Matter

Hi.

Welcome to The EDU Files, bringing education insights, stories, and vibes to your inbox every Tuesday.

I hope that your weekend absolutely rocked! I took some time to relax and unwind on Florida’s beautiful waterways. The family took some time to explore some of Florida’s springs - and if you ever get a chance to visit one in the Sunshine State - be sure to do so.

But enough about my adventures, let’s dive into the educational content you’re here for.

Now, shall we?

Deep Dive 🤿

Stop Doing Things That Do Not Matter.

If you can’t answer the question, “Why are we doing this?” Then, the time has come for you to stop doing it.

I wish someone had told me this in Principal School.

Reality reminds us that many things we do in schools must be re-evaluated. As school leaders, have we ever questioned the strategies and systems we put in place in our schools and asked - why?

That doesn’t seem too fair - does it?

I will share a few things I learned as a school leader. I want to help you stop using compliance-based leadership strategies and start doing the things that matter.

Find and Value Their Time

Give the time back to your teachers whenever you can. If you have systems in place that require attendance at professional learning communities or collaborative planning that feels “forced,” stop. There should not be anything “forced” in your school building. If there is, that’s on you.

Instead, focus your time and energy on building value in these systems and strategies you want from your people.

Teachers value time. When you waste it, they get upset - and rightfully so.

Begin valuing their time with what you ask of them. I am talking about the nitty-gritty.

For example, do you require note-taking or deliverables during meetings? Do these things serve a purpose, or are they compliance items? These are time-wasters that you can stop doing to free up more time. Let your teachers focus on the work - not the “busy work.”

Free Them Up

Do you have time consumers in your buildings? Duties, etc… Figure them out. Look at your systems and see if there are times in the day or new ways of rearranging schedules that can free up your people.

I leaned heavily on my support staff to make this happen. If you worked for me, it was very clear that teaching and learning were our focus - and we all were in the building to support the work of our teachers.

If you can redesign systems - do it. Free them up.

Make Shifts in Practice

I wanted to make lesson planning meaningful for my teachers. Ironically, I was also trying to work on them with tech integration, so we shifted our practices. For example, my teachers were required to do lesson plans - really for compliance.

Instead, I told them that if they began designing their lesson plans in our learning management system - which helps extend lessons with technology integration - they would also stop writing lessons for compliance.

As I worked to support teachers, we could access my teacher's lessons, and we used them to collaborate and support their work in teaching and learning within the building. This helped my team have better, more meaningful conversations with teachers and also allowed my instructional staff to devote their time to creating better lessons that extend learning through technology.

We were able to stop a time-crushing compliance task… and I was able to give them that time back.

Final Thoughts

If you start focusing on these three strategies, you will impact your school’s culture, and teachers will see that you value time. This will allow you to focus more on the real “why” in your school building.

Track of the Week 💿

Turn on, tune in, and check out…

Click the iPod to check out the track I have on repeat this week. Check out The EDU Files playlist for tunes to keep you rockin’ throughout the week.

Surfing the Web 🌊

Here is my favorite EDU content from the web this week.

• Addressing Work Refusal in the Classroom by Daniel Leonard

• Designing Late Work Policy That Works for Teachers and Students by Lindsay Mitchell

• When Principals Listen to Students, Schools Can Change by Olina Bernaji

• How We Can Fix Chronic Absenteeism by Hedy Chang and Catherine Cooney

Be sure to check these out…

Feedback 💭

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Thanks for spreading the word, and keep up the good fight. The work you do matters.

See ya next Tuesday! 🍏

PS: If you are interested in supporting your school or district with any of the content or strategies in The EDU Files, click here to drop me a note or to talk more.