I ordered my book for next year’s book study.  I’m so excited!  So excited in fact, that I e-mailed the other department chairs at the greatest junior high school in Texas to let them know.  The book is about developing and working as a team.

I’m passionate about staff development and team building.  I think the cohesiveness of my team is what helps us be successful in developing relationships with the students we work with.  I hope this book study will strengthen our team into a strong unit.

One of the suggestions I received from my department was more time to staff on students.  This comment came from one of my paras.  They’re so silly.  They think I can’t figure out who writes what if they type their responses.  Oh well, if this helps them sleep at night, then so be it.  

But I digress …

One of the goals I have for next year is to meet with the inclusion teachers and paraprofessionals once a month to discuss collaborative teaching strategies and to staff on students that they are concerned about.

This is a direct response to the para’s suggestion.  See how silly they are?  They have really great ideas!  I wonder why they’re so afraid to come & talk to me?  They should all know by now that I would never dismiss their concerns as insignificant.  I have always had an “open door” policy where anyone is free to share any issues with me.  Do I intimidate people?  

Digression.  Sorry.

One of the department chairs met with the counselor yesterday to discuss concerns about next year’s master schedule.  They called me to ask my opinion.  Hub & I were heading to the golf shoppe to pick up a club for him.  

I was driving.

I was so focused on the conversation, I missed my turn.  Hub got frustrated and asked me to pull over.

I couldn’t.  

We were on the highway.

In the fast lane.

One more rule for my “Words of Wisdom:”  don’t talk business & drive at the same time.

Another digression … 

So we collaborated on what to do.  I told them to do what they needed to do & I would take care of the rest.

And then I got home and started thinking about the conversation.  I realized I didn’t factor everything in to the equation that needs to be factored in.

But there’s no way to solve this on summer break.

Oddly, this is day 3 of my break and I have worked at some point, either at campus or Central Office, on both days 1 & 2.

I need to rest.

Rats …

I need to go back to work.