Time Management Summer 091

Time Management Virginia Commonwealth University EDLP 7XX: LEADERSHIP PRESENCE EDLP 7XX: EQUITY AND LEADERSHIP Gayle A. Hines July 16, 2009

Gayle A. Hines Personal and Professional Goal Statement I make to-do lists everyday. I make shopping lists and packing lists. At various stages of my life, I have verbalized my dreams, for the future, but I never put my long-term goals down on paper. Actually, I have never really considered writing long-term goals as a way of focusing my life. I have not gone through life willy-nilly, but I have long believed that an opportunity would present itself when the time was right. Sort of divine intervention guiding my life. Yet, after reading Stephen Covey’s (1989), Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, I wanted to change my ineffective script and create a new script that would be based on my values and would guide my actions (p.104). Even though the lists below are separated into personal and professional goals, many of the goals easily fit in either category. Personal Goals 

I will spend more time with my family. I will balance my work-life to make sure that there is quality time for family.

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I want to reduce my family’s carbon footprint and leave a planet for future generations to enjoy. I will create a more energy efficient home. I will replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs, unplug appliances, take reusable bags to the grocery store, be aware of the product packaging and use the timer on the thermostat.

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I want my family to make healthy food choices and support local farmers. I will cook healthy, locally, and support organic farmers by becoming a member of a community supported agriculture farm.

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I will be someone my friends and family remember fondly. I will value those I love and enjoy them when we are together. I will not impose my values on my loved ones, nor will I judge them.

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Gayle A. Hines 

I will make my children proud. I will model behaviors that will enable my children to be proud to say, “That’s my mother.” I will honor their individual strengths and seek the council of my children.

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I will be honest, sincere, loving, persistent, determined, flexible and available.

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I will always learn from my mistakes and use that knowledge to overcome challenges and move forward.

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I will live with my husband in a European coastal village for one year.

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I will take a cooking class at the Culinary Institute of America.

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I will cook and teach others to have pleasure with food.

Professional Goals 

I will always leave something when I move out of a position. I will work for change that sticks.

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I will become a school administrator. I will create an environment where teachers feel valued and respected using the Professional Learning Community model.

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I will work with aspiring and/or new teachers to ensure a generation of teachers that devote themselves to the success of children.

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I will empower others to reach their full potential.

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I will make a difference, however small.

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I will finish the doctoral program.

My personal and professional goals are the framework I use to make decisions. I realize that there will be times when a choice will conflict with one of my goals and create a challenge, but I am determined to be flexible enough to adjust my choices or even my goals as necessary.

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Gayle A. Hines The School Board of Chesterfield County Public Schools adopted a new vision and revised the mission statement in 2003. The mission of Chesterfield County Public Schools is to work in partnership with students, families and the community to ensure that each student acquires the knowledge, skills and core values necessary to achieve personal success and to enrich the community. Analyzing my preferred goals through the lens of the Chesterfield mission statement it is obvious that the task before me is quite large. My professional goals are inline with the county mission. The balancing act of family, work, and school is where I will struggle. As I work to make a difference for all children I have at times neglected my own children. I received my Master’s degree in 2005 after 2 years of study. I had to promise my daughter at that time that I would not go to school during her senior year so that I could be a part of that experience with her. That year I attended college financial aid seminars, honor society inductions, field hockey games and was a committee chair for the after-prom. I was there with her as she completed college and scholarship applications. I could take her to search for the perfect prom dress and take pictures on prom night. I worked at the after-prom and stayed up all night! When she started at Virginia Tech, I started my post-Master’s program at Virginia Commonwealth University. As a member of the doctoral program my family time is at a premium. At times I must choose to put my family first. This semester I chose to miss class to take my daughter to New York to start an internship. But it was a choice I was happy to make. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, (Covey, 1989) book is going to be my bible as I work to create a balance in my life and keep my personal and professional goals in sight and inline with the bigger mission of Chesterfield County Public Schools. I will use my “Circle of

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Gayle A. Hines Influence” or those things I can control to be increase my self-awareness and be proactive about my goals (Covey, 1989, p.83). The Principalship and Time Management What does a principal do during the day? Principals wear many hats during a typical day and complete various tasks and begin even more. In order to be successful in the role a principal needs to be an efficient time manager. Yet, there are days when the allocation of time to tasks is out of the principal’s control. Therefore, many of the tasks that demand a principal’s attention are not always of her choosing. The literature goes one step further and speaks to the reality that many of those tasks are not valued by the principal. Marzano, Waters, and McNulty (2005) identified 21 responsibilities of principals in their meta-analysis on school leadership. Their research looked at over 69 leadership studies as well as prominent leadership theory to determine what specific behaviors of leadership correlated to student achievement. The responsibilities run the gamut from change agent, discipline, focus, ideals/beliefs, to intellectual stimulation, visibility and involvement in curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Effective leaders use the 21 responsibilities as their management tools in the daily operation of a school. The Marzano et al. study does not refer expressly to the issue of time management. But it would be impossible not to consider the amount of time that needs to be delegated by a principal if each of the 21 responsibilities is to be applied in the day-to-day management of a school. In light of the 21 responsibilities it is no wonder that much of the literature speaks to the increase of demands on schools and principals and the lack of interest in the job. DiPaola and Tschannen-Moran (2003) conducted a study of current administrators in Virginia. The survey, both paper and on-line versions were available and were mailed to

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Gayle A. Hines participants, gathered information with hopes to inform preparation programs for leaders. Participants noted characteristics of the principalship, such as instructional leader, who provides both leadership in instruction and coordinates the instructional programs, while promoting high academic standards. Participants also referred to the principal as a change agent, who implements change and entices others to embrace change by creating a climate conducive to change. The principal’s managerial tasks have expanded, and they must deal with more complex Special Education requirements especially with regulations such as NCLB (DiPaola and Tschannen-Moran, 2003). DiPaola and Tschannen-Moran note that there was a difference in why the participants had become leaders and the reality of the job. When asked their opinion on why there continues to be a growing shortage of people to do the job, these principals believed the factors included the job is not attractive, the length of the work week, and that salary is not commensurate with the requirements of the job. Because the focus of the study was Virginia administrators, emphasis on standardized test scores was also mentioned as a deterrent to the principalship. “Clearly, principals are straining under the burden of all that is expected of them in this new era of accountability…” (DiPaola and Tschannen-Moran, 2005, p. 58). The principals felt that they had insufficient authority to perform their duties and that they did not have the resources or support to implement new initiatives. They noted that they had no time or personnel to fulfill mandated responsibilities of instructional leader or the management portions of the job. The participants found that email added yet another significant time demand to their day. Neil C. Cranston (2007) conducted a study of aspiring deputy (assistant) principals in Australia to determine how future principals feel about the principal job. The deputy principals were asked to answer questions about their view of what principals do in their role, what is an

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Gayle A. Hines ideal week versus a real week in the life of a principal, and barriers to the ideal mode. The respondents answered questions that revealed characteristics of leadership similar to both the Marzano et al (2005) and DiPaola and Tschannen-Moran (2003) studies, including strong interpersonal skills, fair and ethical decision making, inspiring and visioning change and an effective and efficient manager and administrator. This study, like the others, refers to the changing role of the principal, which is now more demanding and complex. The respondents were asked to compare what a principal does and what they would like to see the principal do in week. Typically the respondents saw the ideal week involving more time spent on strategic and curriculum leadership and less time spent on management and administration. The respondents considered the barrier to the ideal week to be the demands on time; principals must make choices about how they allocate their time and the system sets priorities that limit principal choice. The reasons for aspiring to the principalship were to change the face of education and making a difference. Barriers to seeking a principal job were how a principal job would affect their work-life balance and they were happy in their current position because of closer contact with teaching and learning. The future principals viewed their job as different from the principal’s job. Another study of school leaders by Neil, Carlisle, Knipe, and McEwen (2001) determined the leaders’ pattern of work, their values in action and improving their practice by understanding their values within their actions. Based on data collected from dairy entries of principals the researchers noted a disconnect between how principals spend their time and what a principal values in their job, “Most of the principals’ time is spent on dealing with tasks which are regarded as of little value” (p. 66).

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Gayle A. Hines The authors made a distinction between leadership and management, and management and administration for the activities documented by the leaders. The findings revealed that most school leaders spend more time on managing activities than on leading. Principals spend more time on routine low-level administrative tasks, at either primary or secondary level, than they do on tasks involving curriculum, planning, or staff development. A loss of control over one’s time and email as a necessary nuisance are other themes found in the literature (Graham, 2001; Daresh, Male, 2000). Daresh and Male (2001) echo the sentiment found in the literature that the role of the principal continues to become more complex thus deterring qualified candidates from seeking the position. “Administrivia” or routine duties such as phone calls, approving purchase orders, and email, continues to be where most leaders see themselves spending the majority of their time and much has been written about leaders being prepared for roles in which they spend minimal amounts of time, such as curriculum development and teacher evaluations (Alvy, Robbins, 1998; Graham, 1997, Cranston 2007). The principalship has undergone scrutiny for almost as long as it has been in existence. The job continues to become more complex with standards-based assessments and legislated mandates such as NCLB upping the ante on a principal’s accountability for student performance. Many leaders take on the role with hopes of being the instructional leader their education and training have prepared them to be. However, once in the job, reality takes over and much of the principal’s time is spent completing tasks she is mandated by local, state, and federal regulations dictate. The literature is full of suggestions for leadership programs, policy makers and school systems to consider as they seek, nurture and recruit future principals. “Unless more is understood about the complexity of the role of leaders in schools by those making decisions

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Gayle A. Hines relating to what schools ‘will’ do, fewer people will see the role as attractive,” (Cranston, 2007, p. 126). Practicing Administrator Interview I interviewed Mr. Stephen Cunningham, principal at Matoaca High School. I asked Mr. Cunningham about time management and what aspects of time management he believed to be important. His answers reflected much of what was in the literature. Flexibility was key because there are many times when your schedule will be interrupted. Not all interruptions are crises, but they all must be handled. There are times when it is impossible to return to the original task for hours. According to Mr. Cunningham, much of how a principal spends his/her time is by meeting deadlines. The deadlines are created by central office personnel. Whether the deadlines are for budget reports, questions to be used in an interview, screening of candidates and turning names in to human resources, or scheduling classes, the reports affect how a principal can manage the day-to-day activities in the school. This just comes with the territory. In order to get it all done a leader must create a strong administrative team consisting of assistant principals, activities director, department chairs, and support staff that he trusts and delegate, delegate, delegate. The team members must be on board with the mission of the school and work together to make it happen. Mr. Cunningham stressed having one goal at time and making small decisions daily that work toward the goal. He believes that it is most important to reflect on the big picture everyday. Regular reflection time is critical and facilitates private brainstorming to Mr. Cunningham. It is important to mention that he was interrupted four times during this interview. One time was for over 10 minutes when members of the Chesterfield County Fire Department

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Gayle A. Hines stopped by unannounced to “check out” the building and talk about a key box for non-emergency alarm response. Small things take up his time everyday so it is imperative that he has time to reflect on the progress toward his goal. History Department Chairs As the Instructional Specialist I work with social studies department chairs to disseminate information regarding such matters as social studies content, instructional practices, data-driven decision-making, and testing, both formal and informal. Many of the department chairs still see the instructional specialist as their supervisor; however it is not a supervisory position because I have no input in their professional evaluations. Before the department chairs left for the summer I asked them to answer the following question, “What do you believe are the duties of my job and how do you think I spend my time on the job?” Nine of 11 department chairs responded. The tasks they viewed as important to the role of instructional specialist can be divided into two categories (see Table 1), administrative and instructional. Table 1 Tasks subdivided according to area with frequency of response Focus Task Frequency Instructional Updating curriculum 3 Leadership (35) Guidance for teachers and 4 department chairs Sharing information 4 with other schools Keeping updated about 1 SOL’s and changes Mentoring new teachers 2 Professional development 7 Writing new curriculum 3 Leader for the Social Studies Dept. 3 Sounding board 1 Guidance in textbook selection 3 Evaluation of instructional methods 2

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Gayle A. Hines

Administration (19)

Student representative Teacher representative Ordering textbooks Liason between central office and Social Studies Writing grants Investigate test score data Preparation and execution of annual budgetary items Communicating news about training, seminars, scholarship opportunities. Communication with School Board Putting out fires

1 1 2 4 3 1 1 2

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The social studies department chairs view the role of the instructional specialist as one of an instructional leader rather than an administrator. The chairs are aware that aspects of the job require administrative tasks. They believe I spend my time on instruction or tasks related to coordinating activities to improve instruction. Many of the chairs made anecdotal comments with regard to the “taxing” nature of the job and the numerous “hats” I must wear to do the job. Time Management Journal/Comparisons During the two week period when I recorded my time in my journal it was apparent that the bulk of my time was spent at my desk working on curriculum. For the school year 2008 – 2009 the Curriculum and Instruction Team was tasked to rewrite Chesterfield County Public School’s curriculum K -12. With one exception, the meetings I attended during that time were related to the revision as well. This is in direct contrast to how the department chairs see me spending my time. Being in the office in front of a computer is not one of my personal or professional goals. Revising the curriculum is important work and will make a difference, but it required me to be in my office instead of in schools working with teachers and students. Though I believe rewriting and

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Gayle A. Hines revising the curriculum to be an instructional task the amount of time I devoted to it this year made it seem to be a management task. The literature revealed the discrepancy between what principals’ value about their job and how they actually spend their time on the job. It is the same for the instructional specialist. Many times we are side tracked by a crisis or task that demands our immediate attention. While Covey (1989) would say we make a choice there are many times I feel helpless and with out choice when my boss calls me at noon and needs a memo by 4:00. As a classroom teacher I had much more control more control over my time and how I spent it. It appears to me that leaders have more responsibilities and therefore less direct control. As the instructional specialist the challenge is to be able to switch gears in an instant. Plan of Improvement I will work to improve the following aspects of my time management: 

Calendar: I will keep one calendar with all my important information on it. I will keep this calendar for the entire school year 2009 – 2010. This should help with my time management.

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Goals: I will print my professional and personal goals and post them in my office at home and work. I will make all decisions with the end in mind. I will work to be flexible about my goals and not beat myself up if sometimes progress slows or stalls.

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Communication skills: I will read a book on how to improve this skill. I struggle with keeping my emotions off my face and out of my voice. Good communication will help me with relationships.

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Delegate: I will delegate tasks. This will alleviate some of my stress and at the same time empower others.

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Say No: I will say no and not feel guilty, whether at work or home.

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Gayle A. Hines Improvement is a journey not an event. It is something on which I work in both my personal life and my work. I wake up everyday with the intent to do good work and be a better person. Sometimes I am successful and sometimes I struggle but every day I wake up and try again.

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Gayle A. Hines References Alvy, H.B., Robbins, P. (1998). If I Only Knew…Success Strategies for Navigating the Principalship. Thousand Oaks, CA, Corwin Press, Inc. Covey, S. (1989). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. New York: Simon & Schuster. Cranston, N.C. (2007). Through the eyes of potential aspirants: Another view of the principalship. School Leadership and Management, 27(2), 109 – 128. Daresh, J., Male, T. (2000). Crossing the Border into Leadership: Experiences of Newly Appointed British Headteachers and American Principals. Educational Management Administration Leadership, 28, 89-101. DiPaola, M., Tschannen-Moran, M. (2003). The Principal at a Crossroads: A Study of the Conditions and Concerns of Principals. NASSP Bulletin, 87, 43-65. Graham, M.W. (1997, March). School Principals: Their Roles and Preparation. Paper presented at the National Conference on Creating the Quality School, Oklahoma City, OK. Marzano, R.J., Waters, T., McNulty, B.A. (2005). School Leadership That Works: From Research to Results. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Neil , P., Carlisle, K., Knipe, D., McEwen, A. (2001). Principals in action: an analysis of school leadership. Research in Education, 66, 40–53.

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