I was in Southaven, Mississippi, a few weeks back (Sidenote: The band Korn was performing at my workshop venue the same evening), working with a great group of principals and other MS education leaders. In doing my usual peer-over-the-shoulder-stalking, you can imagine the double-take I did when I saw Cody’s Clipboard.
I innocently took a photo, and Instagram exploded. Well, not really. But people did want more! So Cody, the principal of an elementary school in Cleveland, MS, and I got to chatting. And here’s what I learned!
Maia: What led you to create your Weekly Principal Worksheet?
Cody: I wanted to prioritize each day, along with the things I needed to do that were specific to each day, like teacher observations. Additionally, I was finding myself unable to get all the small day-to-day tasks done — mainly because I was forgetting them!
Maia: What does your team think about the Weekly Principal Worksheet?
Cody: The staff at my school knows all about it! They always see it on my clipboard. We all have things we need to do, but when they that I’m making teaching and learning a priority, they work that much harder for our kids.
Maia: You know I am going to get in your business. . . When and how do you fill it in?
Cody: I used to complete it Sunday night, but now I’m completing it on Fridays when I Meet with Myself! I schedule observations based upon previous observations, current improvement plans, and our observation roster sheet. Throughout the week, I check off my To-Do’s in the far right column. Since starting this routine, I have missed about 90% less announcements than before!
There are SOOO many things I love about Cody’s Weekly Principal Checklist. Among them are:
- How he fills his time with what is most important. In his case, it is a focus on time in classrooms.
- How he balances each day’s specific tasks with his other list of time-neutral (but still very important) To-Do’s.
- How he models for others. By keeping his checklist front and center, Cody signals to his colleagues that he is a man on a mission!
Cody has also made a few recent edits you can view below. . . he is experimenting with being more of a “when-er” than a “what-er.” Thank you, Cody – and see you this week!
