Kids Notice...

If you ever get a chance to attend a Todd Whitaker presentation.....YOU BETTER DO IT!  

Last week educators in our district had the pleasure to see Todd Whitaker speak.  To us!  In our suburbia district in Kansas!  WHAT!?!  We were so jazzed...I mean he is one of the leading authorities on staff motivation, teacher leadership and principal effectiveness.   And....let me tell you...it was  dynamic!

There were so many amazing statements he made, but the one that stuck with me the most is: "The only person in the classroom that should know you are in a bad mood is....You."  This stuck with me.   Not that I am in a bad mood frequently...but lets face it....we all know we have bad days, and we also know those teachers that CONSISTENTLY have bad days.  BUT, why should the kids know we are having a bad day??

When teachers love their jobs, students notice. When teachers are having fun, students notice.  When teachers are excited and enthusiastic about the content they teach, students notice. When teachers are counting down the days until summer, students notice.  When teachers are are grumpy because of X,Y,Z, students notice.  It turns out student's notice A LOT!  

This school year students will be noticing my positivity and enthusiasm.  What will the students notice about you?

I should also point out that Todd has written over 50 books!! FIFTY!!  I honestly don't know if this man sleeps...

I have had the please of reading two of them.....What Great Teachers Do Differently and School Culture Rewired.  I highly recommend School Culture Rewired for any first year principal--it was a quick and easy read that included strategies on how to define and improve a building's culture.   At this point I don't have any aspirations on becoming a building principal, but if I did...I'd be STUDYING this book! :)