What administrator isn’t looking for a tool that can make life easier? While large districts have ways to automate a lot of things, administrators of small schools typically have to do those things manually or not at all. It can be really tough to push towards the excellence we desire with finite capabilities and time limits, not to mention tight budgets!
That’s where the Google Suite comes in. If you’re not using it, you should seriously consider it! Google Classroom offers some great tools for your teachers (and you!). For example, by setting up a “class” for your faculty, you can push out announcements, attach important documents, and keep everyone connected.
Google Forms have even more uses. Because everything is stored in the cloud, you can access your work from anywhere, and you don’t need a particular device to do so. Plus, Forms work seamlessly with Google Sheets, so you can organize responses quickly and easily with a few formulas.
Here I’ll highlight three ways Google Forms can make your life easier.
(Note that the information I’ll share next assumes you have a school account which is more secure for your student/faculty data.)
Streamline Teacher Observations
By combining Google Forms and Google Sheets, you can quickly document classroom observations and access those notes from anywhere.
First, you can create a form with any categories you’d like to capture during your observations. Bookmark the form, then fill it out every time you visit a classroom. Easy peasy.
Every time you complete the form, your notes are automatically sent to a spreadsheet. Initially, everything will be a bit jumbled as the teachers’ information is added in the order you complete the form. But, with a few formulas, you can tell that information where to go so that you can easily view it teacher by teacher with a tab for each.
With another formula, you can export the information for each teacher into its own new sheet. That way, you can share the notes with a teacher confidentially. When it comes time to write an evaluation, all your notes are in one document, and there are no surprises for anyone!
Consolidate Faculty Meeting Notes
Another way Google Forms can make life easier is by capturing faculty meeting notes.
Again, the information is spit out into a Google Sheet. This time, you can organize the information by month. Simply click on a month’s tab, and all the meeting notes are there. You can include whatever categories you’d like, such as meeting notes, action items, and prayer requests. Export this information to a new document that is shared with teachers, and you can know that your notes are secure and no “oops-es” will happen. Just be sure to make it “view only” for anyone with whom you share it.
Record PLC Notes for Accountability and Growth
If PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) are part of your school’s professional development plan, Google Forms can be a great way to capture the important work that takes place there for future reference and accountability.
Create a form that encompasses the various elements of your PLCs so that information is broken into appropriate categories. You can make certain portions of the form required while others are optional so that one form can serve multiple purposes depending on the focus of your PLCs.
The information again goes to one large Google Sheet that you can use to see what’s happening in all of your groups. Use a formula to export it to a sheet specific to each individual group so they can access their notes, action items, and other data.
Sounds Good but Not Sure How to Start?
I’ve already done the work for you! I’ve created templates for each of the above scenarios that you can purchase individually at my Teachers Pay Teachers Store. Or, buy all three as a bundle for only $6. I’ve included easy-to-follow directions to make the sheets your own in just a few steps, and I’m here to help if you get stuck. My goal is to be a blessing to you while you bless your teachers and students, and as always, to take away some of the leg work for you so you can do the more important things.
Remote Learning can Help Christian Schools Reach More Families
COVID-19 has brought about new teaching and learning opportunities for Christian school educators through distance learning, whether or not we were ready or wanting it! As school leaders, I’m sure you’ve been able to identify teachers who have thrived in this new learning environment. You may also have heard from families who are enjoying having their kids home so much that they desire to homeschool next year. This may be true of families outside of your current school’s enrollment, too.
At first blush, this is scary. Any threats to our enrollment bring with them a certain level of trepidation. However, I believe this presents as a unique opportunity for Christian schools to reach new families in a different way.
With little overhead and using existing staff, Christian schools may be able to expand their offerings to include an online academy utilizing the same curriculum as their physical school.
Here I’ll share some of my ideas as well as tools I’ve found to support such a shift to regular distance learning opportunities for families. Hopefully we’ll get your wheels turning with ideas of how this might be applied in your setting!
Benefits of Distance Learning for Christian Schools
If online enrollment is kept at a number that, when combined with in-person enrollment, is a reasonable class size for a teacher, you may not need to hire an additional teacher at all. In the programs I’ll share, the teacher’s screen and webcam can be captured, recording regular class instruction that is then streamlined and available for online students to observe. This is perfect for recording for a wider audience though distance learning. Educationally speaking, this method will work best with a workshop model of instruction for literacy or math due to the short, teacher-centered minilesson that opens each class.
If enrollment is such that new staff members are needed for online instruction, new hires can potentially still be kept at a minimum. For example, if adding an elementary school-from-home component, by removing one subject from the teachers’ schedules, the teachers could pick up one section of distance learning for a subject they already teach. So, by adding, for instance, a new science/STEM teacher who teaches the class more like a special to all grades in the elementary, startup costs should be relatively easy to cover with initial enrollment if enough interest is generated.
By using the same curriculum, the entire faculty can benefit from the same professional development, though online teachers will need additional PD in providing meaningful and high-quality learning experiences with technology.
If numbers are not super high the first year (just enough to cover expenses with a little cushion), it’s possible Google Classroom could be used as the online site, saving money over a more expensive program like Blackboard or Canvas that would likely be required for larger online enrollment.
I think some homeschool parents might be quite receptive to more of a hybrid model wherein they do not have to provide the instruction or grades, even just for one subject.
With all that has happened with COVID-19, states are offering free PD to private schools regarding how to better/best implement distance learning. Check out these sessions offered in New York.
Teachers may be excited about the potential for future work from home opportunities presented by the online academy, and it’s possible you’ll find great new candidates, as well.
When students are absent, they can access the instruction they’ve missed, an added bonus for teachers, students, and their parents.
Important Considerations for Remote Learning:
You’ll need to decide if online students will be required to sign up for all classes in a grade level, or if they can choose only certain classes. Math quickly comes to mind as a course many parents would be interested in if offered as a stand-alone subject, so this might be a good place to start.
It might go without saying, but as a new venture, it’d be wise to pilot the program with one or two of your teachers who has excelled at online instruction during this COVID era. This will minimize expenses and help you iron out potential difficulties or points of frustration for teachers, students, or parents.
There will likely be some digital startup costs involved, so don’t forget to plan for potentially necessary tools for teachers like ipads, document cameras, and microphones, depending on the program(s) you choose. If your teachers don’t have document cameras currently, you should make this investment soon, whether or not you move forward with online learning! Here’s why.
You’ll need to check your state’s requirements for launching an online academy to make sure everything is on the up-and-up for accreditation and other legal implications.
Distance Learning Tools to Check Out (Don’t forget the free trials!):
FlashBack– This program allows you to record your screen and add a window of your webcam simultaneously, so students can see content and the instructor. There is a free version (FlashBack Express) or a full version with full editing software (FlashBack Pro). Pro comes with educator discounts, costing under $45 for 1-4 users. It seems that the free version might be sufficient for many educators, and it comes without watermarks that would cheapen the look of your videos. However, Pro is required in order to select and save only portions of your recorded video, so it might be worth the expense for the peace of mind that not every minute of recording must be perfect. Note that this program only works on Windows.
Screencast-o-matic– This program is quite affordable at either $1.65/month or $4/month (ad-free) per teacher, and it interfaces with Google Classroom which can be a great time-saver for teachers. You can record both your screen and webcam simultaneously so students can see both the teacher and anything displayed under the document camera or through a program like PowerPoint or Google Slides. Note you will need the more expensive version ($4/month) in order to upload videos longer than 15 minutes.
Panopto– This is a very cool program for education and seems relatively affordable at $15/month per classroom (when considering additional online enrollment tuition). It integrates with programs like Canvas and Blackboard, but does not appear to work seamlessly with Google Classroom. Multiple cameras can capture regular class instruction in addition to the teacher’s computer screen. For example, one camera can be trained on the teacher at the front of the room, while another captures either the computer screen or document camera’s view. This is different than the other programs that will require the teacher to teach from in front of the computer. Another cool feature is called “Smart Search” wherein users can search for words or phrases used within videos (spoken or typed). This could be a very useful tool for students, especially high school students for whom lectures will likely be longer and more involved.
Explain Everything– This is another good option, and depending on your enrollment, may be less expensive than Panopto. Cost is $3/seat/month for 1-9 seats, and $0.9/seat/month for 10+ seats. This is an interactive whiteboard program in which teachers can create notes, add video, and really have some fun with their lectures, and it works with Google Classroom. If using this program, your teachers would probably use this to create their lessons for use in both the physical and virtual classroom. Additionally, with options for live collaboration during lessons, online learning can feel more personal for students and help them feel like they are part of an actual class, not just working independently. This program will require more tech savy-ness of your teachers and may appeal to the creative on your team. It looks like creating videos can be time-consuming depending on how elaborate the teacher desires to make them, which could be frustrating for some. But for others, it might be a lot of fun.
Biblical Implications for Distance Learning:
We could view these new circumstances as a threat to Christian education, or we can view them as an opportunity to expand the Kingdom. Now, perhaps more than ever in our lifetime, people are frightened and looking for security and answers. And we have them! We know we need not fear the future, for we know the God of the universe. And boy does he love people. Distance learning can be a vehicle through which we share his love with greater influence. Perhaps we might even expand our enrollment to include seekers looking for excellent educational opportunities for their children. Through God’s grace and our influence, may they end up finding salvation on the journey!
Christian Schools can use Distance Learning to Reach New Students
Could you sing it? That was my meager attempt at Mission Impossible’s theme song. Because that’s what this post is about. Doing the impossible.
Talk about a doozy.
Change leadership 101 is that you have to establish the need for change in order to generate buy-in for change initiatives. But as Christian school leaders, we may not have that luxury. Many of us are barely balancing the budget, so stakeholders catching wind of problems, no matter how small they might actually be, could lead to a mass exodus that cripples or crumbles the school.
Making significant changes to the school without letting on that there were problems was the task handed to me as a new administrator. Basically, I was told to evaluate the entire program, identify the weaknesses (there were quite a few), and fix them. But don’t let anyone know things might not be great. And try not to ruffle too many feathers.
Sure, no problem.
This meant I couldn’t look at school-level data with the staff, nor could I focus on particular subject areas because no one could know what was happening anywhere else. All analysis and feedback had to be done at the individual level, but even there, with one teacher per grade level or subject, I couldn’t really dive into the data with anyone other than the leadership team or I’d expose my teacher.
Not only that, but I jumped into the deep end of school leadership straight from the classroom without training. I knew I wanted to pursue school leadership someday, but God’s someday had turned into now. The odds were stacked against me, and the task was SO hard and oftentimes frustrating for both the teachers and me.
Maybe you’ve found yourself in a similar boat.
Change leadership was the hardest venture of my life, requiring more of me than I’d ever given. When my time there ended, I was bruised and battered, as was some of the faculty, but we accomplished a great work. In four years, we increased our Terra Nova 3-8 math score average (previously our weakest area, but now a strength) by 24 points and our total score by 19 points. Something about what we did worked (Christian educators are some seriously hard workers), but in hindsight I see things I could have done much differently as a leader that might have allowed me to reach the same destination with fewer bruises.
Leading in a Christian school is often like drinking from a fire hose of responsibility, and what seems logical in hindsight may be impossible to see while trying not to drown. In an effort to save you some of the mishaps I experienced during those marathon days, this post will focus less on what worked and more on lessons learned the hard way about what not to do in change leadership. We’ll call it a cautionary tale that might lead to some personal embarrassment for me, but hopefully greater glory for the Kingdom. Here we go.
Lesson #1: Start with Strengths
Sometimes, when looking around and seeing what I perceive as deficits, it’s difficult for me to see strengths upon which to build. Maybe you’re like me. But strengths are always there, and it’s our job to find them. I should have been better at this my first year. If you have a similar personality to mine, don’t fall into the same trap. Here are some ways you can avoid it:
Don’t skip prayer! It can be tempting to get right to the work at hand, seeing problems and wanting to fix them. Be like Nehemiah and spend significant time in prayer before beginning anything else. Pray that your heart aligns with his, that your eyes see what his do, and that you value what he does. Pray for wisdom. Pray for your faculty, staff, families, and students. Pray for patience and perseverance. Pray for correct timing. Pray, pray, pray. Then pray some more.
Observe, observe, observe until you can find several positive things to focus on in addition to the things you want to change.Don’t let yourself start the fixing until you find the things that are praiseworthy.
Begin building relationships ASAP. Meet with the staff 1:1, before school starts if possible. If you’re hired last minute like I was, do this important work as soon as it makes sense. Get to know them as individuals and not just teachers.
Survey the staff to find out what things they love the most about the school. Tread carefully in those areas!
Lesson #2: Some changes must be made quickly.
On our first day of school with students, I was flabbergasted. It was LOUD. Middle and high school students yelled greetings to each other while wandering the halls during class, not just in between classes. During pass time, at one point I saw shoes inexplicably flying through the air. The students were obviously jovial and happy to be back at school (strength!), but learning was clearly low on the priority list. This felt more like summer camp than school. Apparently I’d inherited a loosely-run ship. I’m more a tight-ship kind of girl. The two methods are not compatible, so establishing a culture more conducive to learning was a priority.
We focused on creating silent hallways while class was in session to minimize distractions in the classroom and teaching bell-to-bell. We had a pretty loose execution of time on task before these changes were made, so tightening up the amount of focus and instructional time was important because nothing else would improve until this area did.
I think I got this one right. Some changes must be made early in order for other improvements to follow.
Lesson #3: Some changes should be made more slowly.
I got this one less right.
I’m an ideas girl. My personality sees what’s not working and how to fix it pretty easily. And I feel compelled to fix. Immediately. Like, yesterday. In hindsight, what felt like a crawl to me was probably a sprint for my teachers. Tightening up time on task was a major undertaking, and probably should have been the only undertaking. So, my cautionary tale is this: though you may look around and see things that seem pressing on all fronts, choosing the one biggest or most impactful area on which to focus should probably be it for that first year. Gather your data, observe, observe, observe, and let that first area become a new part of the school’s identity. This can be done by focusing any professional development efforts on the area from lesson #2 and using staff or team meetings to check in on how it’s going.
Lesson #4: Don’t spread yourself so thin that you can’t follow through on initiatives well.
As administrator of a K-12 school, I mentally broke our faculty down into grade level bands (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12, specialists) or subject area. So, it seemed reasonable to me for these different groups to have individual areas of focus as needed. After all, it was just one area per group, so it should be manageable for the teachers. And it was only five or so groups for me, which also seemed manageable.
I. was. wrong. Not manageable at all.
I found myself the frequent victim of my own folly of launching a new initiative well, then getting bogged down in the myriad tasks of running a school and not following through with these initiatives well. New initiatives should be nurtured, revisited regularly with opportunities for parties to reflect, report out, and get support. The days so often flew by, though, that weeks would pass without this required nurturing. I’d hope teachers were following through with the things we discussed, but time flew by for them, too. By not making it my focus, it slipped out of their focus as well. It also cost me credibility each time I failed to follow through well. Double ouch.
Again, the pressing call of “NOW” hurt my efforts.
Yes, each group could benefit from the new initiatives, but only if they were done well.
It would have been better to minimize the number of initiatives to only those I could do with excellence than attempt to address too many areas at once.
These strategies can help with this problem:
Set reminders on your calendar so too much time doesn’t pass between your check-ins.
Set aside specific times to meet with teachers about these areas of focus.
Give all group members something so do between meetings for which they are accountable. Be specific. Work with the group to find out what is reasonable, but a basic element should be something about the initiatives that teachers will try to implement, then report out their experiences and findings at the next meeting. This will help develop camaraderie among the team members and keep new initiatives on the front burner.
Once you feel you know your staff well enough, identify leaders to help keep initiatives going when you’re bogged down with the many other aspects of school leadership.
Lesson #5: Start collecting new, specific data.
This one may be a no-brainer, but while being drowned by the fire hose, I didn’t see it. While you may be unable to share prior years’ or school-wide data with the faculty, you can start to gather new information to be discussed.
Choose small focus areas for data collection so that larger areas of deficiency are still held in confidence.
In this way, begin chipping away at areas needing major overhaul. Not only will this help you generate buy-in for changes that must be made, the work will feel more manageable to everyone involved.
Some Final Thoughts:
Leading is not for the faint of heart. Think about our Nehemiah and all he encountered and endured while doing his great work. Badly broken walls, burned gates, mockery, and constant threat of attack. He had to make smart choices while facing seemingly insurmountable odds. That’s us. This seemingly impossible task of generating buy-in for change without letting on that things aren’t going as well as we’d hoped is HARD. But, with God’s grace, a heaping dose of his wisdom, thick skin, and some patience, it can be done. If this giant task is yours right now, know that I’m on your team. If I can help you in your efforts, please let me know.
Christian School Leadership: Perception and Reality
Welcome, Christian Educator! I’m so glad you’ve found my blog and hope it becomes an important tool for your Christian school leadership. We all know of some Christian schools that are complete standouts, known for academic excellence and sought after by believers and unbelievers alike. Unfortunately, this is not the reputation of all Christian schools.
Like it or not, Christian educators sometimes have a reputation of being behind the times or unable to get a public school job. Implied is the idea that Christian schools are sub-par, unable to provide a fantastic scholastic experience for our kids.
I don’t know about you, but I am tired of this perception.
More, I’m frustrated that it sometimes represents reality. We serve the God of the universe, yet all too often we just scrape by. We work extremely hard, but we have fewer resources and are stretched almost to the breaking point as school leaders. Should this be our legacy? Of course not, but how do we change our reality? We want to be at the front of our field, utilizing the latest research-based practices, but who has time to sort through it all?
In the beginning of my career as a full-time Christian school administrator, I worked around the clock, staying late each day, then working at home until bed. The weekends were no different. There was at least one occasion in which I stayed at work through the early morning hours! That is craziness, but there was so much to do and not enough time to do it all. I know some of you recognize the struggle and have experiences to match.
With a schedule like that, how is a Christian school leader supposed to find the time to research educational methods and trends?
That’s where this website comes in. I am, and always have been, a giant nerd. I love to read educational literature in my free time and attend any educational conference I can (sitting in the front of the room, of course). My desire is to use my nerd status to support fellow Christian educators by combing through the latest trends and helping you choose which ones best fit your current needs.
Of course, all this will be done with an eye on Scripture, seeing how educational trends line up with our worldview and ensuring we lead in Christ-honoring ways.
We’ll combine current METHODS with biblical MEANING to raise up a generation of leaders.
Inspiration from Nehemiah for Christian School Leadership
As we think of Christian school leadership, let’s turn our minds to Nehemiah. He’s likely a familiar biblical leader, known for his work to restore the wall around Jerusalem after it had been destroyed and its people exiled. A city’s walls were a sign of its strength and security, so their destruction revealed the mighty loss the Jewish people had taken. Further, it left them vulnerable to future attack.
Upon hearing of the wall’s destruction and the embarrassing and vulnerable position of Jerusalem and the remnant there, Nehemiah, the king’s cupbearer, petitioned for the ability to return to his homeland and oversee the rebuilding of the wall and its gates.
Nehemiah’s Challenges and Ultimate Success
Nehemiah’s work, much like ours, was not without opposition. Just as some call Christian education ineffective and a lesser version of a secular school’s program, enemies mocked Nehemiah and the workers, calling them feeble and ill-equipped for the work at hand. When mockery didn’t stop the project, the enemies plotted an attack. Meanwhile, his workers had grown discouraged and tired.
Nevertheless, Nehemiah learned of the planned attack and set half the men as a guard while the other half continued the work on the wall. Those carrying materials carried a sword in one hand and the supplies in the other. The workers also wore a sword, ready to defend their work when necessary.
Nehemiah’s people were spread out far away from each other as they worked around the city. Perhaps we could say they were spread thin, much like the Christian educator. Though it was difficult to defend themselves, Nehemiah knew God would fight for them (Nehemiah 4:20b) and encouraged his people saying,
“Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”Nehemiah 4:14b
When the work was nearly completed, the opposition tried a new approach. They attempted to lure Nehemiah away from the work with plans to harm him. In wisdom, Nehemiah responded,
“I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” Nehemiah 6:3b.
Finally, just fifty-two days later, due to God’s sovereignty, the workers’ dedication and effort, and Nehemiah’s leadership, the wall was completed. Nehemiah 6:16 NIV states, “When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.”
Christian School Leadership Challenges and Ultimate Success
Like Nehemiah, Christian school leaders and teachers are surrounded by brokenness as families fracture and our society increasingly consists of people who are “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power” 2 Timothy 3:2-4a.
This work of fortifying our children against the views and lifestyle of the world and empowering them to impact it for Christ is daunting and not without opposition. We, too, are mocked. We, too, are increasingly under attack through regulations and threats to funding. And we, too, could easily become distracted from the important things or discouraged with the work and leave it for something easier or just plod along towards retirement.
This is where our inspiration from Nehemiah comes in. Whether administrators or teachers, we, too, can adopt the mindset of “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down!” as we fight for the next generation of believers.
Let’s do this work together as we look at the latest trends in education and evaluate their appropriateness for our school settings. I want to be your ally as we work together living out our faith through Christian education- to God’s glory!
As Christian School Administrators and Teachers, let’s combine methods with meaning to raise up a generation of leaders!
