It is always nice when we have an opportunity to talk with peers from other school sites and districts. I enjoyed hearing from the various district representatives regarding HR matters. I was able to appreciate the commonality of all three districts as well as the differences - especially the differences pertaining to the collective bargaining units. One "must" that was conveyed by all of the guests was the need for documentation - this is something that does take a little extra time but saves a lot of trouble in the long-run.
The remainder of the evening was a great opportunity to interact with classmates and converse with people I may not have spoken to otherwise. I did like the "groups of three" activity and I can see how this could be used with staff, students and even with some of our parent groups.
The information regarding school budgets was great - there was so much valuable information. I appreciated the depth in which Dr. Bradley explained many of the nuances of school budgets and how the state funding does/will impact us all. It does sound like we still have some tough times ahead of all of us in education.
I agree with you that these weekends are so nice to get together and be able to interact with one another. We do tend to stay within our own cohorts to begin with, but like Friday evenings activity, we were forced (so to say) mingle and get with people we don't normally talk to. I think that was the highlight of the weekend for me because I found value in that as well. It can be used with our staffs and in our classrooms. I think when we do things like that it means more than to sit and be overloaded with information. It was all good information, but so much!
ReplyDeleteI have really enjoyed getting to know you and I enjoy when you share in class because your experience and passion is obvious. I, too, enjoy the weekend classes. The activity on Friday night was my favorite because we all had to practice listening and we got another chance to make new friends. I will miss our face to face classes. Great post Christy!
ReplyDeleteChristy,
ReplyDeleteYes, I too became very worried when Dr. Bradley talked about the state pulling the trigger. That would be devastating to our district and our state. So, have you mastered the art of school budgets yet?
Christy,
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe all the stuff you have had to go through this year while working through this program as a principal. I am blown away by all the things that I know nothing about regarding the running of a school. If I ever get the opportunity, I will need close friends like you and Laurie to use as mentors in the process of running a school. You guys (women) rock!!