9 minute read
The Vincent Way
BY LYNNE STARK
Iwas excited as I drove to my interview for the principal job at for a jeans day ticket are incredible! Vincent Elementary School nearly two years ago. Maybe a little too excited. Of course, this relationship-building was just the foundation for time. I knew that there was a lot to tackle, but I was ready for the staff, team-building scavenger hunt; developing a calendar for the mandates (“When I was an AP we used to…” ); using my principal wished; keeping my door open and pushing around a mobile desk so ultimately helping and educating our children. Despite morale rising, I evidently gave the car more gas than it needed, and a police officer it was an immensely challenging year. With 600 students, many pulled me over for speeding and ticketed me. It was an ominous start of whom have experienced trauma, I was constantly dealing with to one of the most important days of my working life, but it didn’t extreme behaviors. Just when I thought I had heard it all, I was called take long for me to forget about it. another new unflattering name by a student. My saving grace was being part of a principal Facebook group, where I learned that I During the interview, what I already knew or suspected about Vincent wasn’t alone—and some of the names my fellow principals had been was confirmed for me: the school had scored relatively low on state called were far worse than anything I’d been called! As the year ended, report cards, students were entering kindergarten unprepared, bad I was exhausted and wondered how I could do it all again the next behaviors had become more extreme in recent years, and teacher year. But, I took time to reflect on what had gone well. One thing morale was at an all-time low. I knew for sure was that I loved my team, and every one of them was in it for the right reasons. I surveyed my teachers and asked for Suddenly, my speeding ticket didn’t mean a whole lot. both feedback and new ideas as we looked ahead. I needed to keep When I got the job, I felt overwhelmed and invincible at the same caused by trauma and poverty. challenge. This is what I wanted. Now I had to prove to myself, to the On the final days of school that first year, the district had a breakfast staff, to the students, and to their to honor years of service. I sat with the parents that together we could do this. “When offering her the other principals, having no idea what I had to do. My plan was to watch and learn. Unfortunately, my superintendent called I knew the first key to any success would require building relationships job, I told her, me up first. My staff, in pure elementary fashion, cheered me on by squeaking the with the staff. I had to earn their rubber ducks I had given out earlier in the trust. Raising scores was the furthest thing from my mind. There “I’m Batman, and year to remind them to “Keep swimming!” I started speaking by saying, “I’m not really would be no chance of scores ever increasing if I didn’t create an I need a Robin. sure how this is traditionally done, but since you have me going first, we will just do environment where people enjoyed things ‘The Vincent Way.’” Ducks squeaked coming to work and knew that they were appreciated. Some of the Are you up for it?” and the elementary teachers cheered! The statement was purely off-the-cuff, but it was things I did throughout the year at that moment when I realized that those included celebrating a “Have Fun at Work Day”’ by conducting a words would be our theme moving forward. 12 days before Christmas break to keep it fun for students and staff; My biggest takeaway of the year was that I couldn’t do it alone. I had putting encouraging notes on staff computers; recognizing the good a great team, but there were too many balls to juggle as principal to work of teachers at meetings; sharing ideas without making them do the job well without more help. account to give each teacher $100 to spend on their classroom as they Fortunately, I got just the help I needed. staff morale high and find a way to break down some of the barriers that I was always visible; and, on some mornings, beginning the day At the start of the summer I was given the opportunity to hire with chair races down the hallway. The things these teachers will do an assistant principal, and the positive transformation of Vincent
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pushed forward. When offering her the job, I told her, “I am Batman and I need a Robin. Are you up for it?” I am grateful that she was! Little did I know then just how much she would push me to be a better leader. And together, we were going to move mountains!
Later that summer, I invited each grade level team to my home for a “porch chat.” (I bribed them to come by telling them that I would give them their class rosters. Jeans and class lists…they are truly the way to an elementary teacher’s heart!) My purpose for meeting with them was to get their ideas of what “The Vincent Way” meant to them. I shared that although we are unable to change some of the students’ home situations, we do have the power to make the eight hours a day that they spend with us their special home. In this “home” we have procedures for everything. We have high expectations, we set goals, and we celebrate successes. It is a place where you can take risks and know that you will always be loved. We spoke about what “The Vincent Way” would look like from colleague to colleague, and what it would look like from teacher to student. I had them hooked. They were on board!
Our first staff meeting of this second school year began with a team-building frozen t-shirt contest, followed by the reveal of our focused goals for the year. We made our theme song “Home” by Phillip Phillips, and our first idea was to find a way to get kids to school on time. We provided them with free breakfast, but we were still averaging more than 30 tardies a day. So, we began “Start Your Day the Vincent Way” on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Students could eat breakfast in their classrooms with their teachers and continue to spend some time with them, or they could finish and go to one of several activities: yoga, games, Legos, mindfulness, puzzles, music/dancing, art, coding or be a kindergarten helper. The point was to get students to spend 15 minutes at the start of the day getting in the mindset to learn. They can laugh and have fun, and then the learning begins.
During the day we have a 30 minute WIN (What I Need) period. Teachers divide the students within their grade level to make small groups (using support staff) to focus on individual needs. On Fridays, students set goals for themselves. The goals can be academic, behavioral or organizational. Then, as a class, they come to the office to ring the bell if they have reached their goal. We have New Year’s horns and noisemakers to really pump them up. Not all of them get to do it, but they still cheer for one another and motivate each other to meet their goal for the next week. There is no greater joy than to hear a child in January say, “This is my first time getting to ring the bell!” Or to watch another child floss for his friends who are shouting, “Oh yeah! Oh yeah!” Their excitement is invigorating! We have taught them that hard work and perseverance pay off. We end announcements each day with, “Around here we do things the Vincent Way. We make our words and our actions something we can be proud of. If we choose to Be Safe, Be Accountable, Have Integrity and Be a Leader, we will SAIL through our day!” That is usually followed by “Today. let’s focus on…” Then the teachers reinforce whatever it is that we are going to focus on.
We also concentrate on a character trait each month. This month, that trait is honesty. When you hear the words, “I accidentally put up my middle finger,” or “I accidentally punched him and said a cuss word when I was mad,” it is a great lead-in to the importance of honesty and telling the whole truth! We teach through our conversations and talk about what we did, what we should have done instead, and how we are going to repair the harm we caused. I always tell students, “We all make mistakes. We need to learn from them and make sure that we don’t make the same mistakes again.” The toughest part of our conversation is identifying how our actions affect the people around us and what we think we should do to make it better. Students usually start with, “I will say sorry!” I tell them, “That is a good start… what else?” You would be amazed at the ideas children come up with to make amends! My favorite was from a child who had been disrespectful to his teacher. He said, “I’m really good at making mac and cheese! I’m going to bring it to her in the morning!”
Our home is not a perfect place. We have issues every day. But what household doesn’t? The best thing we have going for us is that we have so many creative minds to help us overcome and support one another when we face obstacles. When the custodian said, “I hate Thursdays; they are the messy lunch days (tacos, nachos, spaghetti…),” we spent time teaching how to eat a messy lunch and how to clean up our places before lining up. Every Thursday is now the “Messy Lunch Challenge” to see which grade level can leave the cafeteria the cleanest!
When we see a problem, we teach, reteach, set goals, and celebrate. It’s The Vincent Way!
Lynne Stark is a second year principal of Vincent Elementary for Clearview Local Schools in Lorain, Ohio. Intertwined with being a wife and mother of 3, she has been an elementary teacher, a university supervisor of student teachers, a Parents as Teachers early childhood program coordinator, an instructional coach and an assistant principal. She believes that building relationships is the key to making a difference as a leader. The author can be contacted via email at lynne. stark@clearviewschools.org and via Twitter at @LStark25.
