Admin In The Wild

After 19 years in education—navigating everything from the toothless smiles of kindergarten to the voice-cracking transitions of 8th grade—I’ve learned one universal truth: time is our most precious resource. As a principal, I’m a firm believer that we shouldn't just be lecturing; we should be coaching kids through authentic, real-world discovery. But in the crowded schedule of an elementary school day, Science often gets pushed to the back burner. That’s why my recent job-embedded project focused on one thing: "Stealing" time back for Science. The Vision: From Presenters to Coaches I used our school-wide "One School, One Book" (OSOB) event as a launchpad to integrate NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) concepts directly into our literacy blocks. The goal was simple but ambitious: I wanted to see our teachers shift from "presenters" to "Science Coaches." I wanted to walk into a reading lesson and see students actively using Science an...

 They call it May, but any school administrator knows the truth: it’s May-ember . It is that high-octane, non-stop, "how-is-it-only-Tuesday" marathon that marks the end of the academic year. This year, it feels like the madness didn't even wait for the calendar to flip; it spilled right over from April and hit the ground running. It is only May 5 , and if you feel like you’ve already lived a thousand days this month, you aren't alone. The Administrator’s Mental Tab If you looked at the "open tabs" in an admin’s brain right now, it would look something like this: The School Side: State testing logistics, Open House prep, final evaluations, the delicate puzzle of classroom placement for next year, hiring new talent, and the inevitable "staff shuffle." The Big Picture: My district team and I are currently deep in the trenches designing important new incentives for next year. Is May the "right" time to add one more thing to the plate? Proba...