Face-to-Face Meetings - Nov. 4th & 5th

After nine hours of class, eleven pages of notes, and numerous handouts... it's hard to summarize and reflect on our last face-to-face class session for EAD 269.  We had several amazing guests who left my head spinning with new ideas and information.

Our first set of guests were the HR representatives from Clovis, Sanger, and Visalia.  I really liked the informal Q & A format of this session.  I also appreciated their candor, humor, and sincerity.  Here are some "highlights" and words of wisdom that they shared with our class from an HR perspective:
-"Do not sit in your office or fall into the paperwork trap... be in classrooms everyday!"
-"Learn how to delegate"
-"Be ready to have tough conversations"
-"If it isn't on paper, it didn't happen... document everything!"
-"Don't let your pride or ego get in the way... keep your emotions in check"
-"Consult with HR... and be proactive"
-"You are not a manager... you are a leader"
-"Know your non-negotiables"
-"20% of the people will take 80% of your time"
-"Don't get caught up in climbing the ladder"

Our second set of guests led us through a series of activities to promote active listening skills and the importance of student activities, especially in high school.  Listening with respect is a crucial skill for any type of leader.  The art of conversation has really become limited in our fast-paced world of texting, blogging, and twitter.  There are so many one-sided or one-way conversations that happen on a daily basis... many people seek to be heard and focus mainly on getting their point across to others.  We don't always take time to understand other people's point of view.  Participating in the trio and small group discussion activities helped me realize how important it is to wait for other people to process and respond to a question or prompt (these activities would also make a great addition to any staff meeting or training).  "Think time" is valuable for adults as well as students.  I think it's funny that people are sometimes uncomfortable with silence (including myself).  They feel like it's necessary to fill in the "dead air" or start right in without giving others a chance to process or think.  I hope to continue to practice these listening skills in both my professional and personal worlds.

Our third guest, Terry Bradley, taught us all about school finance and budgeting.  He was extremely knowledgeable and spent a great deal of time talking about the history of California finance from 1976 (Serrano vs Priest) to present-day.  I have never taken time to truly sit down and examine the overwhelming shadow that is cast by propositions, keystone court cases, and state lawmakers (or rather... their staffers and lobbyists).  School districts are now dependent on the health of the state economy and we are challenged as leaders to "do more with less".  I am still alarmed by the statistic that we are the 8th largest economy in the world yet we spend so little per student compared to the national average.  I also learned a lot about bonds, the student body fund, categorical programs, revenue sources, and considerations in projecting expenses.  There are many factors to consider when planning a budget: general fund revenue (enrollment/ADA, revenue limit, categorical programs, carry over, local revenue sources, etc.) and expenditures (salaries, benefits, fixed cost, equipment, materials, etc.).  I am excited to meet with my principal to look at our site budget now that I have some background in school finance and budgeting.  Before they seemed like arbitrary numbers on a page... I think now they will have more meaning.

Again... another long, exhausting... yet rewarding weekend full of useful and applicable information. I appreciate the time each presenter took out of their busy weekends to teach, coach, and mentor us.