Grandparents and Special Friends Day at Allendale Columbia School “Carol it's so good to see you!” “Becky is that you? Oh my! I haven't seen you in years!” “Isn't this amazing?” These are just a few of the comments that made our hearts glow as we let a practice session for our virtual Grandparents and [...]
Author: mrsfeiss
Thank You for the Fire Drill
There are always unexpected moments in the life of an educator. A child gets paint in their hair, a mouse or chipmunk finds its way into the girls’ bathroom, a pandemic- the list goes on and on. This year I encountered an unexpected moment that was a first. I have been lucky to receive thousands [...]
The 5 by 5 Rule
How many decisions do you make in a day? Ever get stuck in your head on a decision? It happens to us all. It can be as simple as what you choose to wear for the day or as complicated as deciding on whether to purchase a house. This morning the alarm clock went off [...]
My Philosophy of Leadership
The traditional protocol for writing a statement of philosophy of education or leadership usually guides you to write about your beliefs as an educator. However, I thought it might be far more compelling to examine what I do not believe about education, leadership and creating a culture of innovation. This is my top 10 list: [...]
Frost
Every morning I greet our students on the playground as they are dropped off at the gate. It is my favorite part of the day. This morning was extraordinary. We had our first frost of the season. One of our second grade students was the first to arrive and he was humming happily as he [...]
Hokey Pokey
This morning I was making the rounds through classrooms and chatting with students about their day. It is my favorite part of the job as the principal of a primary school. We live in a small community in southern Germany and we have a closely knit family within our young school. A young school demands [...]
The “Don’ts”
An interesting title for my first post, but 'don'ts' seems like the best fit for the past week. My role as a leader within a small school presents some interesting puzzles and conundrums from minute to minute. Yes, it's a fast paced world ...that of the primary school. It's also a labor of love. When [...]