Principal's Principles # 2

Leadership

To be a great school leader you need to develop in three areas: emotional intelligence, leadership and management. I am naturally a strong manager due to my logical-mathematical way of thinking. Leadership is an area I am developing in. The best way to develop as a leader is to identify mentors and learn from them. I am fortunate to be learning from some of the best, including John Ritter, John McBride and Brent Mutsch. This year Brent has been teaching me how to lead with the school mission at the heart of all I do. A simple way to put this into practice is at the end of each of your meetings ask the question, "What have we done today to further our school mission?" I do it as an exit ticket. 

Q2

If you are or want to be an excellent manager you need to live in Q2. One of the easiest ways to live in Q2 is to use an online calendar program or hire an experienced secretary. You need to schedule time for extremely important activities such as classroom observations, making next year's timetable, writing that newsletter piece. This way you are not bombarded with work at one time. This will be very beneficial for your relationships too as you will find yourself leaving work earlier as your important work is done in advance. Try to get things off your plate as soon as they come in, if you have the time.

Taken from: https://czarto.com/2012/04/24/four-quadrants-of-time/

Get Perspective

It is very important that you know your emotions. For example if you suffer from a chronic illness and come to work in pain, it is very important that you are mindful of this. Conflict can escalate quickly when our emotions are high or we are in pain. Getting perspective is also very important. You need to learn to know when others are struggling and gauge your approach accordingly. Ochan Powell once told me to listen for the emotion first, then the content. I am finding this advice to be golden.

Bullying

If you are starting out in a leadership role, I am sorry to say but you will most likely be bullied. This bullying will not be physical but more likely verbal and usually behind your back. Expect to hear things like he/she should not be in this job, he/she does not know what he/she is doing. This will be greatly reduced as you prove yourself by establishing a track record. Remember to fill the bank as was mentioned in my first post. This bullying will most likely not stop completely, but as you stay at a school you will notice the bullies come and GO! My friend Allison Vidotto once said to me when I was going through an intense period of bullying, "Ignore the naysayers, they are a small part of any great story".

Mentors

Identify mentors! You would not believe how many leaders know exactly what you are going through and are willing to help for free. You will learn more from one hour with an experienced Head of School than a week at a PTC course, and it will save you a lot of money. Find the mentors strengths and learn from them. You can also learn what a mentor's weakness is and learn from that too. In order to seek out mentors you need to be humble and ask for the help. I have found the EARCOS leadership conference to be a great place to find such people. To give a quick shout out to some of the other mentors I have learned from, Kristina Seitawan, Helen Teese, Dr. Noel Geoghegan and my current HOS, Lily Liu. 

Strong pedagogical leadership can transform a school and make the lives of many students and teachers a joy. Fight for this!

Principal's Principles # 1

I have been holding of on this blog post, seeing if I was going to "make it" or "survive" in the principal role. I guess if I don't start posting on this topic I never will. This is the start of a series of blog posts called Principal's Principles. The hope is to pass on knowledge being learned as a starting out principal.

Making Decisions

I believe that all decisions should be made according to the school policies. I have learned in the countries that I have worked in that not wavering or making exceptions is important. If you bend the rules once you will be expected to do it again. Making decisions under a time constraint is one of the biggest challenges you will face in leadership. In this case you need to gather as much evidence as you can from different sources as quickly as possible. You should then make your decision based on triangulating the evidence. If you are working in a Christian context, obviously you have another source to go to.

Filling the Bank (Deposits and Withdrawals)

We have to make tough decisions in leadership and often have to ask our staff to do things they may not want to do. It might be long term cover or working on a weekend. It is very important to, "fill the bank". This is done over a long period of time. Trust is built through every decision you make, every encouraging comment you give, every gift on a birthday, every pancake you bake. Fill the bank so that when you need to make a withdrawal, you are supported. Know that every negative comment, every gossip, every unprofessional act is a withdrawal.

Communicate

Communicate, communicate and communicate. As much open and honest communication as is appropriate. I believe this is best done by email. Never waste teachers' time with meetings that are not necessary. Each morning I send out an email with a list of upcoming events. If there is something that will really effect teachers such as a change to their routine, this needs to be communicated as far in advance as possible. An example of this would be a concert rehearsal. When teachers are well informed and part of what is happening, they are more supportive. We cannot spring things on teachers, unless you have a very full bank.

Face to Face Tough Talks

Do not shy away from or put off tough talks. If there is conflict you cannot put your head under the carpet and pretend it is not there. You need to address it and have the tough talk. An example of this would be two teachers who are having a disagreement. What to do here is meet with each individually, then set up a time where we meet together face to face. I like to use the philosophy of restorative practices to repair relationships with students and teachers alike. I would advise any school leader to learn more about this philosophy. I learned an excellent strategy from one of my staff members when dealing with an issue with a teacher who is also a parent. Have the teacher take off their "teacher hat" and put on their "parent hat" when having the discussion.

I hope this was useful. Part two will be coming soon, if there is interest.

Lower Back Healing

The following blog post is based on fifteen years of research, trial and a lot of error! The errors include all the old wives tales such as: stretching the hamstrings, massage, acupuncture, yoga, McKenzie exercises, traction and so much more. The one and only, one-stop-shop, an absolute expert in low back pain is Dr. Stuart McGill. His thirty years of research are a blessing to so many. All the information you need about McGill and his research may be found here. 

In the last week of 2017, I hurt my back. I am currently experiencing pain in the middle of my lower back and a tingling sensation down my left leg. If I went to an orthopedic surgeon I would be diagnosed with bulging discs at L5 & S1. They would say the bulge is pressing on my sciatic nerve causing the sensation down my leg. This is not a nice sensation, but it is very common. In this blog post, I am going to share how to get from this place back to being pain-free. 

The goal is to get back to correct mobility as soon as possible. To do this, you need to determine the right amount of resistance (training/exercise) that the body can handle. This is then increased over time. Before anything else the most important concept here is movement. Now I know that there is a day or two when you need to lie in bed with the hot water bottle, pain killers, heat patch or whatever you do but you need to get back to movement as soon as possible. Too much rest actually leads to back pain.  Learn the hip hinge, ways for picking things up, getting up about of chairs and all of the extremely important movement patterns involving activation the hips and glutes (bum). All found in McGill's work. 

Exercise Program - Week 1 - In Pain

10 x Cat/Camel - Warm-Up

10 x Kneeling Hip Hinge - Warm-Up

The McGill Big 3

3 x Side Plank on Knees (3 on each side)

3 x Bird Dog (Leg Only, 3 on each side)

6 x McGill Curl (3 on each leg)

Please click on the links to the videos to see the correct form. These exercises have been tested with sensors and have been found to put the minimal load on the back. They are the best possible exercises to build up support around the back and core and to begin to train the correct movement. 

7.1.2018

After just over a week I am pain-free and have moved to the Russian descending pyramid. 5, 3, 1. This means I am still doing the above exercises but am now doing 3 sets. The first set is 5 reps on each side holding for 10 seconds. The second set is three reps and the final set is one repetition.

10.1.2018

Too easy so have moved to full side plank which you can see in this video. The difference here is that the contact point with the ground is the feet now instead of the knees. I am not transferring into the plank position at this stage. The other two exercises remain the same. You should also walk for 15 minutes three times a day from the very start but I did not incorporate that in this program due to work commitments. I am also ready at this stage to increase the intensity of the bird dog by raising an alternative arm. It may be seen here in this video (coming soon). I am still doing the Russian descending pyramid 5, 3, 1.

23.2.2018

I am now almost two weeks into the program. I have moved to the advanced level of McGill's Big 3. I am also slowly increasing the number of repetitions. My current program with videos is below. I warm up with the cat/camel and knee hip-hinge every day throughout the whole program.

The McGill Big 3 - Intermediate
Note: When I try the advanced level a slight pain returns to my back to I stop and return to intermediate.
Curl-up - 5, 4, 1
Side Plank - 5, 3, 1
Intermediate Bird-dog - 5, 3, 1

I have decided that as I am not two months into the program I am going to return to the gym. It is very difficult to leave my ego at the door and continue with my program, but I must do. One step backward to hopefully take two forward. The below exercises are designed to train the correct movement as I am now pain-free and am planning to set a new goal for myself. I am going to stick to this program until the end of June, then work towards 5 reps of 100kg in the bench press, deadlift, and squat. This is something I have never done before in my life. I currently weigh 75 kg.

In their book The Gift of Healing, Dr. McGill and Brian Carroll write at length at the importance of correcting the wrong movement. The following workout I am planning to do 2-3 times a week on top of doing the above program each day.

Kettlebell squats - 5, 5, 5
Bottoms-up kettlebell press - 5, 5, 5
McGill Pull-up - 1x10
15 min walk on the treadmill
Farmers walk

The goal in all of these exercises is to learn to brace by back correctly and to maintain perfect form throughout the exercises. Before each exercise, I engage my lats, brace my stomach and employ the other techniques advised in the book. You must learn this as it goes further to protect the back under loads.

Advanced Bird-dog 5,3,1
Side bridge to plank 5,

Note: After 3 months of doing great I decided to try squatting and deadlifting again. I immediately hurt my back and have been out for a month. I am starting at the top from scratch again:-( Dr. McGill recommended I stay out for 6 months but I did not listen. This time I will, hopefully...

3.8.2018

I have been pain-free for a couple of months now and have decided to give the weight training a go again. I am well on my way towards my goal of 5x100kg on the big three. At the moment I am at 70 kg and have been incorporating the Hex Deadlift. This video shows the correct form. It is extremely important when lifting anything to:
1. Engage your lats and abs
2. Tuck your chin
3. Take a deep breath and hold it, pushing on the belt
4. Grip the floor with your toes, but push through the heels
5. Always begin with the hip-hinge
I am experiencing a slight amount of pain today but whether this subsides or not will determine whether or not I continue with the program.
Note: I did not give the 6 months that Dr. McGill suggested. This is extremely foolish and I highly recommend 6 months of McGill's exercises before returning to lifting.

22.9.2019

I am hoping this will be the final entry in this blog. I have learned so much about my body and by back through this journey. A recent MRI has shown that the discs are extremely degenerated. The surgeon who saw me did not recommend surgery, suggested I can eventually go back to kickboxing (he was Thai:) and lifting but suggested I not do any squatting or anything that loads the spine.

So I got back to it again and worked my way up to 5-3-1 on The McGill Big 3 in their strictest forms as shown here, here and here. I decided to stay at 5-3-1 this time as when I tried to increase in the past along with the weight program have hurt myself. I did this for two months then began a new training program doing a push session based around the bench, pull session based around chins and the hex deadlift and a leg session where I tried numerous different exercises to replace the squat. Every time my ego kicked in and I tried a variation of the squat slight pain returned. The penny has finally dropped.

1.10.2019

I started this journey two years and one month ago, and completed it today.