Looking Back to Move Forward: The Plan Book Scavenger Hunt for Literacy Leaders
Jennifer Jones
It's 5:30 in the afternoon, and the school improvement team meeting for one of my buildings is concluding. My principal remarks that there are only sixteen days of school left. Each individual sitting around the table gasps, primarily because we each knew that sixteen days just isn't enough time.
That moment got me thinking about the mad dash I am in as a literacy leader to wrap up this year while already in the midst of planning for next year. Given all of that, at the conclusion of my third year in the role of a literacy leader this really is the first time I feel like I might have a clue as to what I am doing. I don't know about the rest of you out there, but scheduling with this job is not easy. As Jennifer Allen puts it, we are in "no-man's land." We're not classroom teachers, we're not administrators, and people want to know what we are doing with our time. There are a few things that I implemented this spring to help me with planning and scheduling for next year that you might want to consider.
The most helpful thing I did this spring was schedule a meeting with each of my principals. We discussed their feelings on professional development I offered this year, goals that they have for each building regarding literacy for the upcoming school year, and potential projects for the summer hiatus. The main goal of these meetings was to ensure that each administrator was satisfied with the structure of my role; to find out if they needed me doing more or less of anything. From these meetings I was able to begin sketching out a game plan for the next year.
In addition to meeting with each principal, I also made sure that I requested feedback from the teachers who participated in my professional development this year. I was looking for feedback from them regarding how the professional development affected their work in the classroom as well as what their needs are for the following year (for both resources and professional development). This year I conducted very informal conversations with teachers. Next year I plan to develop a survey for reflection to be completed upon conclusion of professional development.
I did a scavenger hunt through my lesson plan book. For the purpose of scheduling, I have found it to be most helpful to maintain a lesson plan book vs. a calendar. The space in most lesson plan books is larger than most calendars. I set my plan book up just like classroom teachers do - weekly with large blocks of time, but I fill it in more like a calendar. I keep track of scheduled events like visits to classrooms, when assessments are due, and impromptu things such as resorting for teachers. You can access a copy of my notes from the hunt by clicking on the link below:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/jenjonesyearataglance.pdf
During my scavenger hunt I first started looking for and tracking those things which occurred on a quarterly basis, then narrowed the search to monthly events, and finally weekly responsibilities. By the end of the hunt I had a list which included quarterly things such as district assessments, data delves, follow-up meetings with grade level teams, parent-teacher conference nights, and curriculum nights.
Monthly events included committee meetings at district office, professional development, progress monitoring, curriculum work, and study groups. The weekly list consisted of problem-solving team meetings, students that are seen on a regular basis, classroom visits, and teacher mentoring and coaching. On top of this I made note of state assessments for grades 3-6 in October and November and the really big one, noting how I supported new teachers and staff.
Once I had my list I started figuring out how many days I devoted to these things so that I could predict for next year. I started a new lesson plan book for next year and have already entered assessment deadlines, reminders regarding deadlines for grant writing, days we don't have school, and the state assessment window. In the front of the book I have almost two pages filled of tasks I need to complete prior to school starting, such as collecting teacher schedules, meetings to schedule, and materials to get out.
Budget discussions got underway this spring and I have worked to keep myself informed in order to stay on top of reductions and changes to staffing for each of my buildings. It's vitally important to remain mindful of where staffing changes are going to occur and make contact with those teachers affected immediately so that they know there is someone to support them during their transition.
I think our school year consists roughly of 180 days. Upon completion of my scavenger hunt through my plan book I determined that if the current school year is an indicator for the next, I can anticipate having about 20-25 days next year that I will be able to devote to new teachers and everything else I have not planned for. Time travels fast and runs out quickly. I have found that if I don't stay on top of how my time is spent I lose it even faster.
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Jennifer Allen
