Don’t Do This Work Alone

Don’t Do This Work Alone The power of intentionally connecting.

BY KATIE NOWAK

I’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 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 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.”

Every summer OAESA holds its annual Professional Conference. This past year’s theme, “The Magic of Why: Stories of Purpose” did not disappoint from the inspiring keynotes, awesome clinics, ample networking, and plenty of fun-filled evening events (After an action-packed day of learning, who doesn’t love a game of giant Jenga?). This event is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on your practice, rejuvenate your purpose, and, most importantly, intentionally connect with other educators from across the state. Through collaboration, conversation, and connecting around some fun, you realize you are not in this alone, and you begin to build that professional network. Next year’s theme, “CELEBRATE: You’re Unstoppable!” is June 15-17, 2020 and promises to be just as amazing, featuring a keynote from principal and author Hamish Brewer, whose new book Relentless just came out. He’s another great educator to connect with on Twitter under his handle, @Brewerhm.

OHIO INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

OAESA offers a variety of institutes, conferences, and other professional development opportunities throughout the year, but one that has had a lasting impact on me personally is the Ohio Instructional Leadership Academy (OILA). This opportunity consists of a cohort of school teams from across the state comprised of an administrator and a teacher leader. They focus on developing a culture of shared leadership as part of a school’s continuous improvement efforts under the guidance and facilitation of Dr. Anthony Muhammad, an amazing teacher, writer, and speaker. The coursework focuses on improvement processes and building culture at the school level. Not only have I attended with our math instructional coach, but one of my assistant principals has also attended with our literacy coach. I found this cohort to improve communication, build trust, and increase shared decision making within my school building leadership team, and I highly recommend taking advantage of this professional development opportunity if possible.

BETTER TOGETHER

Intentionally connecting and collaborating with practitioners allows us to be better together for kids. The challenges we face as administrators can be daunting at times, but you don’t have to do this important work alone. Connecting with others brings support, growth, and gratitude for the challenging yet rewarding work that we do. I believe Helen Keller said it best, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

Katie Nowak has served as an administrator at the elementary and middle school level. She is the principal at New Albany Intermediate School and serves as the OAESA Zone 10 Director. She has presented at conferences at the state and national level, and is an Ohio NAESP National Distinguished Principal. Nowak can be contacted via email at nowak.3@napls.us and via Twitter at @KatherineRNowak.

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