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Don’t Do This Work Alone The power of intentionally connecting. BY KATIE NOWAK
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’m getting ready to start year 16 in education, and one of the most impactful lessons I’ve learned along my journey is the power of intentionally connecting with others in the field. As educators we never stop learning, and my growth over time has been in part to working with great teams, mentors, ideas from other practitioners, and, above all, building a support and professional learning network. If you are new to the role of principal (and like many elementary administrators), you might feel as if you are on an island, and wonder how do I even connect or get started building a professional network? OAESA is a great starting place to intentionally connect and build a professional learning network. REGIONAL MEETINGS
successful initiatives and wonderful ideas to implement in your own building through collaborating with others, you also gain contacts you can reach out to when you need a colleague to serve as a sounding board. TWITTER If you aren’t currently on Twitter, you really are missing out on an amazing opportunity for professional learning and intentionally connecting with other educators from across the country. OAESA hosts monthly Twitter Chats on the first Tuesday of the month at 8pm using the hashtag #ohprinchat. The chats revolve around a variety of topics like PBIS, supporting gifted learners, managing behaviors, and preventing summer slide to name a few from this past year. Some of the best ideas I’ve implemented in my own building, I have taken off of Twitter from following educators, principals, and superintendents from across the state and country. One of the best additions to my building this past year was a Wall of Fame for Students through a positive office referral. Students nominated by any staff member for their success can sign our wall, ring a bell, take a selfie with the principal, and then make a positive phone call home to their parent. Where did I get this wonderful idea? By connecting with another principal at a conference and following them on Twitter. This is just one of many ideas I have found by connecting with other administrators on Twitter. If you’re wondering who to follow, two of the keynote speakers from the 2019 OAESA professional conference in June are a great place to start: Principal Todd Nesloney (@TechNinjaTodd) and Superintendent Dr. Joe Sanfelippo (@Joe_Sanfelippo). Speaking of which, the OAESA Professional Conference and other professional opportunities such as OILA are also great places to intentionally connect and collaborate.
“Intentionally connecting and collaborating with practitioners allows us to be better together for kids.”
Have you attended a zone meeting for your region? Every fall and spring, OAESA’s Zone Directors host no-cost events for you to connect with other administrators in your area. You can connect with colleagues in your area for food, networking, and discussions about the issues you face on the job. It’s a great way to recharge and learn about the successes and initiatives at other schools. It’s also a great way to de-stress, connect, and have some fun. For more information check out the OAESA website, oaesa.org/events for upcoming dates and locations. SERVICE TEAMS Giving back to your profession, while intentionally connecting with other principals from across the state, is another wonderful opportunity through OAESA Service Teams. There are six service teams: Advocacy, Communication, Membership, Professional Learning, Professional Conference, and Recognition. At face-toface and virtual meetings, you connect with other practitioners to do the important work of our organization. Not only do you learn of
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