LEAD In: Quickly Build Authentic Connection and Trust

I just came home from my last day as an Administrator for Summer School. I am happy to report that I was so inspired by my time that I had to sit down and write this post. My time with this group was short, but I found that because of this it made me think about how to approach my work and the people I work with differently. Lean In is defined as "grab[bing] opportunities without hesitation." I want to introduce a new phrase: LEAD in. I define LEAD in as grabbing opportunities with staff and students to build connection and trust as a leader. Here are my reflections on how to LEAD in.

1. Sit in the Front Office

The first day I came into the High School to begin my Summer School Admin position, I was told to use one of the counselor's offices as my workspace. This office was situated behind two doors and away from any staff and students. I decided immediately that I would not ever sit in that office. I set up my "desk" in the front office next to our Secretary/Registrar. This was her first time serving in this role for Summer School and this was my first time serving as an Administrator for Summer School. I knew I needed a thought partner and I am proud to say that in our weeks together I grew to get to know her professionally and personally. It made it so easy when I had a question to be able to turn to her and ask. I also loved sitting in the office because it let both staff and students see me immediately when they entered with a question, concern, or need. During our last week together, our Secretary/Registrar turned to me and said, "Thank you for sitting here and being a true collaborator. It means a lot that you care enough to want to hear what I have to say and that you value my input. I would work with you anywhere." This gratitude share brought me so much joy and I told her, "I feel the same way and could not have imagined doing this alone. Thank you for caring deeply about our students and really making sure they are at the heart of any decision being made."

2. Walk and Talk to Students

Later that first day, I was informed that part of my duties included Brunch supervision. Having been warned that this was the time when anything can happen, I walked outside with my walkie talkie and decided that I would not be standing in a solitary position in front of the office. I took this as an opportunity to circulate the quad and get to know the students. What a wonderful group they were to be around- full of life and personality. I got to be the audience for a group of football players who sang Katie Perry Kareoke during their break and after school. Other students shared with me about their day, how their class is going, where they work, what they are looking forward to after summer school is over, and lots more. Earlier this week two of my three kids left for sleep away camp. On that day, I called my girls to say goodbye to them as they were being dropped off. The time happened to coincide with school brunch. I made it a quick facetime call and shouted "I love you" and then remembered I was in the middle of quad. I turned to the group next to me and said, "My kids just left for camp, I realize I just shouted I love you. While I think you are awesome, I just want you to know that I was saying that to them. I hope your last week of summer school goes well." They laughed and then asked me lots of questions about my kids. It was a simple, real interaction. I continued to find that every student has a story. This was evident in every interaction. There were students who recently came to the United States, some were working and had to pick between summer classes and keeping their jobs, others were in summer school to try again on a class that had been the most challenging. Whatever their story, it was their story, and I was privileged they would share it with me. 

3. Pick up the Trash

During that first Brunch supervision I was being escorted by another administrator. I noticed some trash on the ground and bent down to pick it up. The other person told me, "Don't bother spending your time picking up trash. Leave that for the custodians." I was shocked by this statement. I did the only thing I knew how and bent down and picked up the trash. If we want students and staff to show care about the school they are in, it starts with me as the leader. I have to model it. Every staff member that works with me is a valuable member of the team. I want them to know that I have their backs and that we really are there for one another. I continued this process as I circulated each day and what I found was I did not have to remind students to throw away their trash at the end of brunch. They saw me doing it and they did it too. One of my favorite moments was when I saw a student shooting his trash in the trash can next to him like a basketball. "Two for two!" I cheered on. His friends then went and found a few other pieces of trash they saw that had been left from a previous brunch period and shot them in their basket. 

4. Support in Person

As someone who supports Academic Innovation during the regular school year, part of my role is often to support some new practices with Educational Technology. This summer, the staff was introduced to a new grading program. I will be supporting the Professional Learning on this in the fall and happily took on supporting staff with learning it in the summer. I found it gave me insight on the kinds of questions they had and I better understood their needs. When staff emailed me with questions or errors with their gradebooks, instead of emailing them back, I walked the hallway to their classrooms, got in my steps, and popped in. "Hello! You emailed about your gradebook? How can I help?" I was met with such relief and gratitude. Often it was a small oversight and by being with them, side by side, I could walk them through it. This helped staff not feel scared to ask me questions. Many of the teachers for summer school were retired and coming back into the classroom. They had never used any of the digital tools we are currently using. One of these wonderfully seasoned teachers shared with me at the end of the summer, "Thank you for making the technology accessible. You never made me feel bad for asking you all my questions and you really calmed me down. I was so nervous on the first day and having your support helped me know I wasn't alone." This same teacher even gave me a thank you card on the last day and asked me to invite her to my oldest daughter's upcoming Bat Mitzvah. In just three weeks, I feel like I really got to know the staff. I was in their rooms every day. I hand delivered attendance myself to them if our system was down. Summer school is short and I needed to take advantage of every opportunity to connect.

5. Communicate with Care

During our teacher checkout today, I received many comments from staff sharing gratitude for the clear systems I implemented and the care with which I communicated them. My heart burst with joy hearing this. These teachers spent their summer break in school, caring for students who need some adults championing them. My job was to help teachers be able to focus on those students. Whatever is going on in the school, what I have control over is the way that I communicate information out. I made sure that our systems made sense and didn't create unnecessary or repetitive steps for the staff. I also made sure that my emails were organized with main points numbered and bold with details underneath. If something was really important and had to be shared during the day, I printed out small notes and circulated to deliver them to teachers. I could not expect them to be checking email while teaching.

As I shift back to my District Role supporting Academic Innovation, I really want to make sure that I continue to LEAD in. I want to think about where I sit and the partnerships I create. I want to circulate campuses during breaks, connect with students and pick up trash along the way. I want to support cohorts of teachers and observe  and learn from the magic in classrooms. As someone who supports 31 school sites K-12, I need to collaborate with our Instructional Coaches who are directly at our school sites and circulate with them, especially during the first weeks of school. Last, I want to make sure that I communicate with care for those who are reading and hearing my words. Summer School was just a few weeks and I feel very bonded with the staff and students with whom I was fortunate enough to work. As I approach this next school year, I really am going to think about how I can continue to LEAD in and support others in doing the same.