FIRST Impressions LAST!

I read this article on a blog over the weekend, and I felt it was perfect for our Monday motivator!  Before we know it August will be here and with that comes FIRST…and LASTING impressions.  I have been walking the building the last week and am so impressed by the time many of you are already putting into your rooms.  I love the color, posters, and warmth they are radiating…that’s a great first step to earning some “raving fans” from our kids and parents.  Our building, and classroom are so important, for first…and lasting impressions.  If they walk in an feel “at home” then we have done our job.  No one likes sterile environments…unless you are in the hospital!  J  Since you have a little time left before the chaos begins, I wanted you to start thinking just HOW you are going help create RMS raving fans.  What is your classroom going to look like….feel like…sound like…etc??? Is it noisy because students are engaged…then that is great…or is it because you need to make sure you have routines in place to bring order, and allow high levels of learning to take place? Our main goal is to get student buy-in…foster the relationship first…and you will find it is a lot easier to accomplish everything else!   Now is the time for the creative wheels to start spinning…if they are anything like mine…they never stopped!  Enjoy the blog…I changed it a bit to make it a little more “RMS-ified”.  Hope you are enjoying your time off, and thanks for tuning in!  Have a marvelous Monday team…you have already made quite the LASTING impression on me!!     

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Why First Impressions Matter

Jimmy Casas

When I was little, my parents always made me introduce myself to their adult friends or guests whenever I was with them. I never quite understood why.  Afterwards, they would give me feedback on how I had handled the introduction.  I usually received comments such as “you didn’t shake hands”, “don’t look down, look them in the eye”, “smile when you greet them”, and “don’t’ say huh, say excuse me.”  This was a routine that would become common practice through my teen years.  Eventually, it became my mode of operation. So much so, that when I had my own children, I did what many of us do, I kidnapped my parent’s practices and made them my own.  To this day, I always remind my children to introduce themselves and then proceed to tell them what to do and what not to do when meeting someone for the first time.  However, no longer does it seem like a chore to me or even routine.  I finally figured out what my parents were trying to instill in me; that you get one chance to make a first impression so make it count.  Over the years I watched my parents go out of their way time and time again to make their guests feel appreciated and treat them as though they were the most important people in the world. To this day, I do my best to live up to that standard.

We approach the application process with the intention of establishing a meaningful relationship and an emphasis on making a positive first impression.  As RMS, we are going to be an organization that expects excellence in everything we do, it is critical that we reach out to our students and parents as though they are the most important guests that ever walked through our school doors.  Our mindset is simple; we want every student, parent, and colleague, that walks through our front doors, to reflect back on their experience with us and say, “I wish I could work/go to school at Ryon Middle School. They are first class!”

As leading educators, we must be purposeful in modeling the behaviors we expect of our students and parents and set the standard for how we do business in our schools from the very first introductions starting on August 8^th. By doing so, we are setting the bar high for a positive and productive first year!

 

Ask yourself, how do you positively greet your students, parents, and each other on a daily basis?  If asked, what would they say about you or us as they leave our building?  My expectation is that they in awe…at all the amazing things we have going on!

Wahoooooooooo! What A Ride!

Wahoooooooooooooooo!  I hope you are having one heck of a summer ride so far!! Our retreat was a huge success thanks to soooo many of you showing up and giving it your all…it is truly appreciated and noticed (even by the big dogs J)!  I hope you have a better understanding of our Ron Clark vision that we will be building (you especially will after you finish your summer homework…reading the Essential 55 book J). I am going to  enjoy us being a school of SHARKS vs. goldfish at RMS, and I know you are enjoying your new TOY!  I expect you all to come back techie experts and ready to share exciting apps and how you are going to use this amazing tool in your classroom this year!  If you weren’t able to make it, (some of you let me know ahead of time…and some of you didn’t…I want to reiterate my expectation of communication).  If you had prior plans or things that just came up, I understand that, and do appreciate those of you that let me know ahead of time.  If you did not give me a courtesy email or call, I do ask that you please let me know in the future.  Each of you is a key player on our team and we want (and need) you involved in every aspect of it!  Being united creates a bond that no one can break down and being surrounded by people that trust you and have your back is what I want RMS to be all about!  Lastly, back to the quote…I hope that you are taking some time to have LOTS of fun with your families, your friends, and even some time to yourself to recharge your batteries!  I assure you come late August we are going to be sliding in sideways…eating chocolate…drinking (something J)….and yelling WAHOOOOO on every Friday afternoon! Ha-ha  Have a marvelous Monday and week team!  Let me know if you need anything! 

I found this website with ipad tips and tricks…maybe you will find some useful to use with your new toy!

http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/tablets/50-really-useful-ipad-tips-and-tricks-688556

Writing Our Chapter 1!

I am so excited to have our FIRST retreat tomorrow with our RMS family…and to top it off in our NEW HOME!  This is a HUGE time in all our lives! We are starting a book… “The RMS Ride”  With all new things, comes CHANGE…and change is never easy…even for me!  So I wanted to share with you a personal example of just that.  I have a blog that I write in off and on, and I wanted to share with you the post I wrote right after I walked out of my “comfort zone” of VES to create something new, needed, and exciting for our 6^th grade kids!  It was a roller coaster of emotions and not all happy petunia moments either…with change comes fear, tears, anxiety…lots of different emotions.  I know some of you are having these same feelings right now.  Just know it is totally normal and we will get through it together and support each other.  You are going to be a part of a team…in every sense of the word.  We will work together, support each other, and talk about how we can improve and shine like a DIAMOND on the ranch! We are raising the bar, and by working our tails off, keeping an open mind, being positive, and EXPECTING success we will be writing a BEST SELLER!  Have a marvelous Monday team, see ya at 8!  Enjoy my emotional roller coaster…and remember I too had to choose FAITH over FEAR!  So it get it! J  

This Is Your Life....Make It Count!

Well, well, well….sweet summertime has finally found its way into your busy schedule! I love this quote, because it really makes us reflect on our life!  Life is short…too short!  If we always put things...and our loved ones…off to the next day…it may never happen.  Tomorrow is never promised and time is the one thing we cannot stop or get back.  So my wish for each of you is that you take some time this summer to refill your energy bucket.  Go see your extended family that you hardly have time for during the year, spend time with friends, do some traveling, or just sit on your patio in your pj’s sipping your favorite coffee in peace and quiet…and enjoy your LIFE!  You work so hard for our students during the school year and a summertime break is a “perk”…so LIVE IT UP, you earned every minute! Thanks to all of you that are using some of that time to attend staff development to enhance you’re classroom for RMS’s inaugural year!  I really appreciate it!  I will be visiting the Interact peeps tomorrow afternoon, and can’t wait to see what exciting things you will be learning!   I wanted to give Tim a shout out tonight…Georgie sent this email to me..

“I thought you should know that Tim single handedly move the sixth grade teachers boxes down to the choir room. He was such a huge help in it was unimaginable to see the kindness he showed us in the final days at Reading. Thank you for putting me back on his team. What a true gentleman.”

This is the kind of “team” I LOVE being a part of!  One that will do anything to help another person out, and not expecting anything in return!  Tim you rock and are the first person to make my BRAG BOARD!  Thanks for jumping in and making a difference in a stressful time of year…it was noticed, appreciated, and just flat out AMAZING!  Keep it up team and have a marvelous Monday!  J 

Life Is Too Short To Be Anything But Happy...So Exit With GRACE!

Congrats…you made it!!!!  Last week of school! I wanted to share my thoughts on “exiting with grace.”  Each of you have been a VALUABLE part of the RJH Longhorn family for the past three years.  As with any job that you have been at for any length of time there are always ups and downs.  There are memories (some good...some bad), relationships (some positive...some negative), learning curves (some steeper than we first imagined), and then of course, the huge invaluable impact on students futures you have had over the past 3 years.  So when I reflect on these quotes above, it reminds me that everyone crosses our path for a reason, everywhere we go (and work) was for a reason, and everything that happens to us….was for a reason, even if it’s not clear to us!  I believe each of you were all placed in 6^th grade for a reason…that reason being…I NEED YOU….my open-minded passengers on the extraordinary RMS Energy Bus ride!!  That’s right!  You are now going to be surrounded by people that make a conscious effort to FOCUS on the GOOD stuff!  Administrators that want to grow a family atmosphere!  We are after all, the RMS family…we are a team….a loyal team that will always go the extra mile to help each other out, always maintain respect for each other (both in and out of school) and always have each other’s backs.  We all have baggage…some of it is even our own…we must leave the baggage behind.  As the quote suggests…there is gonna be so many “funny” moments…I am a walking comedy act…all by myself (not sure if this is curse…or a blessing…ha-ha) but beware…you might just laugh so hard you pee your pants.  I hope Ms. Wilson  has an extra change of “adult” clothes!  Lol  J I believe in always giving 110%, pushing our kids further than any curriculum, maintaining “Mt. Everest” size expectations,  building those lasting relationships with our kids, parents, and each other…but NEVER forgetting that we MUST have fun (lots of fun) along the way…and never, EVER give up!!! J   As you are wrapping up your final week at RJH, let’s handle ourselves with grace.  You are already setting the tone for RMS…so smile, be respectful of everyone that you are leaving behind, pack up the baggage and leave it behind.  You have a wonderful (well deserved) summer break coming right up, and the luxury of coming back to an amazing journey on the “Happy Happy Happy….and a little Cray-Cray-Cray” RMS Energy Bus!  Have a Marvelous Monday Team!

Always Choose the FRONT ROW!

Borrowed this pic off a friend’s Pinterest board!  Her caption read… “Reminds me of Grammy...you can choose to live in the front row or the third row!”  AMEN!  I feel that this is a great representation of our inaugural year as the RMS Longhorns!  Just like with carnival rides…there will be many UPS and DOWNS, bumps, fears, unknowns, laughs, and maybe even a few tears.  But what I do know for sure is this…we are never gonna give up!  By choosing to stick together as a unified team and each member promising to give 100% every day…both in our work ethic and positive attitude...the THRILL of success WILL find us!  Sure there are gonna be a few hiccups along the way, but if we choose a solution focused approach to each obstacle (part of living in the front row) , we will prevail and there will be no stopping us!  The school is looking beautiful, and I know you will be super excited and proud to have a spot of your own to make RMS 6^th grade history in!  Remember, we are choosing to leave the baggage behind (it’s not allowed on the “ride” anyway) and keep an open mind for all the great things to come our way!  You are about to enter the ride of your life…a ride that is going to make us legendary in LCISD!  We are going to rock RMS next year, with fabulous teaching, out of the box exploratory classes, capturing those kids (and parents) hearts, and effectively using the data to blow the top off the scores come next May!  That’s right…we are a “Front Row” kinda crowd and want you to get the praise you deserve for all that hard work you do every day!  Just be prepared for other people to be lining up to get your seat on this ride next year especially after all your blood, sweat, tears, and a few margs pay off!  Good thing I have you tightly seat-belted in and I am not about to let ya get away…I need you!  I hope you had a wonderful long weekend and rested up for these crazy last two weeks!   Thanks for all you do for kids!  It is noticed and appreciated! J  Have a terrific Tuesday!

Perception is Reality!

This is a BIGGIE for me!  One person’s PERCEPTION of a given situation is their REALITY of the situation. That’s why first impressions are so important…critical actually.  Whether we like it or not we're built to size each other up quickly. Even if we're presented with lots of evidence to the contrary, we're attached to our initial impressions of people—which is why you should be aware of the impression you make on others. Why does this pertain to you…and me…well, we are in the process of starting something extraordinary from the ground up, and it is up to each and every one of us form positive perceptions with our kids, parents, colleagues, and the community.  Don’t think that’s part of your job??? Think again.  If you know anything thing about me it should be that I am ALL about relationships.  If you don’t have that…you have a hard time achieving much of anything else.  Right behind relationships would be high expectations…for the kids…for you…and mostly for myself!  We are going to be a staff that goes the extra mile…because it is best for kids…and meeting kid’s needs will always win with me.  No need to complain, unless you have a solution.  No need to fire off emails, post to Facebook, have a parking lot conversation, or tell parents negative comments or judgmental opinions….all of these things seems to find their way back to “the people” you will one day need for something…a reference or a favor perhaps.  It will happen…I assure you.  All of these things are forever in writing or out in the community and can and will be used against you the second you make someone mad.  If you have a tendency to do these things…find a “tone” friend…one who will help you soften your emails a bit or you can quietly vent to.  The best solution is to always discreetly take the “obstacle”  to that person so that you can work it out…if that is not possible please feel free to bring it to Veronica or myself.  We are here to help!  I will go to the ends of the earth to help and protect you, and I expect the same respect from each of you.  Let’s THINK before we make a “mountain out of a mole-hill”.  I found this article on a few simple guidelines for wowing people…which is exactly what RMS is going to be all about…creating a positive, safe learning environment for kids and teachers.  First impressions do matter so make the most of them with these five strategies.  Remember…you never get a second chance to make a good impression!

 

Five Strategies for a Fabulous First Impression

First impressions matter so make the most of them!

Published on March 26, 2012 by Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D., ABPP in Do the Right Thing

1. Be yourself... but be your best self.

Ethics are important and faking it to be someone who you are not is ethically problematic as well as just unsustainable. You can't keep up false impressions for very long unless you have an antisocial personality disorder. So, you should be yourself but try very hard to be your very best self.

2. Get yourself organized and centered before having the first interaction.

Whether it is a job interview or a date finding a few minutes to organize and center yourself will likely pay big dividends. Perhaps spending even a minute in meditation, prayer, or repeating a favorite mantra may be productive. What do you do to organize and center yourself? Recently I've used a one minute meditation in all of my classes teaching at Santa Clara University. Before class, we spend one minute in silent meditation. I've been impressed with the results and students seem to be too.

3. Pay close attention to your non-verbals.

Your words can be deceptive but your non-verbal communication tends to speak volumes of truth. Pay attention to your posture, manner, eye contact, and other non-verbal communications and ask yourself what they are communicating about you.

4. Clothes matter.

I'm no fashionista or fashion forward kind of guy by any means but it is true that clothes and grooming matter. It matters in terms of how others judge you as well as how you behave too. So, attend to your clothes, grooming, and so forth to send the message that you want to send.

5. It's never about you.

It is way too easy to be narcissistic and focus on yourself during initial interactions. Big mistake in my view. Focus on the other as much as you can. Attend to the other person by asking questions and try to see the world through their eyes. Not only will you likely connect better but you'll find yourself freer to be your best self that is likely to be more thoughtful and compassionate too.