10 Ways Teachers Can Support Principals

This blog post was co-written with Todd Nesloney.  You can find Todd's website and blog here.

Together we recently wrote a blog post called “Top 10 Tips for First Year Principals”.  The post got a great reception and lots of conversations were started.

One of the comments that was made on Twitter was from Mr C and it said “Great post guys! I often wonder how I as a teacher can support my principal better?  Any ideas?”  And right away that got us thinking…..

As a principal, it’s our job to steer the ship.  To lead the way. Did you know that nearly 30% of Principals who lead troubled schools quit each year? And that by year 3, half leave their job? You can read more about it here.

But a school runs as a team.  As a family.  It takes every single one of us.  There are ways that we could all support each other.  But we wanted to write a post with a few ideas on how teachers can best support school principals! (Do you have your own ideas? Share in the comments below!)

1. Ask your principal how they are doing or how things are going

As principals it is our job to check in with people and build relationships with everyone in

the building.  However, it is great when a teacher stops by in the morning or comes up to us during recess and asks how we are doing.  It might not seem like much, but we can both remember the people who have taken the time out of their schedule to come say hello and check in on us.

2.  Talk to them when there is an issue

There will be times you will disagree with our actions or decisions.  Always come to your principal first when there is an issue.  We have to work together and trust each other.  For example, some states like California have a union.  If you go to the union before talking to your principal first that immediately breaks trust.  Same goes for going to the district office with an issue before talking to your principal.  We are both lucky that we have never had a problem with this at our school sites.  Our teachers have come to us anytime there is a concern.  There might be times you need to get others involved, but always talk to your principal first.  

3.  We don’t mind complaints, but bring solutions too

As leaders of the school, we don’t mind hearing complaints at all!  We all need to grow and continually get better.  But one thing that everyone can do is when you bring complaints to the table, be prepared to bring potential solutions as well.  There’s nothing worse than hearing someone tell you how much they don’t like something, while offering no ideas on how to make it better.  Share your frustrations but also share ideas on how to make it better!

4.  Help promote your school

One thing that everyone wants to do is promoting the great things happening at your school.  School administrators should be leading this charge in sharing your school story, but we need help!  As teachers, any time that you can share the story of your classroom, students, and school, it benefits all!  Share, share, share!

5.  Connect with other teachers to bring new ideas to your school

The principal is only one person.  No matter how connected they are, how many conferences they go to, how many books they read, they still need your help bringing new ideas to the school.  The more connected you are with other teachers, the more great ideas you can bring to your campus.  You will also have a different perspective than they will.  So connect with other teachers either in person, or on social media like Twitter and Voxer and bring those great ideas to your principal.  

6.  Do your best to understand all the directions they are pulled in

Teachers understand how hard it is to meet the needs of all the students in their classroom.  As a principal it feels the exact same way but instead of let’s say 30 kids in a class you have the needs of all of your teachers, secretaries, librarian, custodians, aides, psychologist, resource teacher, nurse and those are just the members of your staff.  You then have usually over 1,000 parents that have different ideas of what needs to be happening at a school.  There are so many people who need the principal and we are pulled in so many different directions.  Just doing your best to understand that helps out your principal a lot.

7.  Understand they are not the previous principal

This could be a good or bad thing depending on what you thought of the previous principal.  We have no problem letting us know of traditions or great things the previous principal did but just know we are not them.

8.  Never talk bad about your principal (or any staff) to members of the community

There might be frustrations with what is happening with your principal or a different teacher at your site.  This goes back to the trust we talked about earlier.  As soon as you talk about about a staff member to someone in the community you are breaking the trust we are working on building at our school.  There are enough other people that like to bash educators, we need to be the ones being positive to the public about what is happening at our school and all of our staff members.

9.  Let them know when something is going well

As a principal, a large portion of our day is spent dealing with upset staff, upset parents, upset central office, or disciplining students.  Sometimes it can feel like we’re doing everything wrong and that everyone is angry or frustrated with us and we begin to lose sight of the great things going on.  One way teachers can help with that is by letting us know when something is going well.  When you had a great day, when you like an activity, when you just want to tell someone ‘thank you’.  We want to celebrate with you.  We need those moments so we can feel like every decision we’re making isn’t a terrible one.

10.  Invite them

As principals, we’re constantly being pulled a million different directions (just like teachers!) and when that happens we forget or don’t know about every event going on on campus.  We love being invited into classrooms.  Whether that is to a class party, science experiment, to read to class, to team teach, whatever!  We know it’s our responsibility to be seen and actively involved, but we also like when we’re invited too.

BONUS: If you have a first year principal just know they are going through a lot adjusting to their new job (especially the first two months)

There is definitely an adjustment when you become a principal.  It doesn’t matter if your principal is coming from an assistant principal job or straight from the classroom.  By doing your best to try and understand this adjustment will help them.  It is especially important that you ask them how they are doing (tip number 1) the first month or two.  They might not tell you, but it will mean the world!

This list is just a start.  Everyone wants to feel needed, valued, supported.  We may have been able to come up with a few ideas on how teachers can best support principals, but really this list could fit any position on a campus.  The whole motivation and ideals behind this post was that we wanted to provide ideas for all of us to best support and build up those we work with.  

Both of us love the ways our campus staff make us feel.  We know we’re at the campus we were meant to be at.  But we’ve heard so many stories from other leaders who don’t feel that way (for a variety of reasons).  It’s going to take all of us, but together we can build a school where every individual feels valued and important.  

In the end we know it is on the principal to support teachers and staff.  But anything you can do as a teacher to help support them as well will help them be a better leader, and in turn will make your school a better place for our students.

Is This Real Life?

If you would like to check out other blogs about #NAESP16, please read these great posts by Todd Schmidt, Liz Garden, Lindsy Stumpenhorst, Nick Proud, Mark French, Jen Kloczko, and Lynn Colon.

David after Dentist is a Youtube video showing a kid who is still feeling the effects of medication and isn't really sure what is happening right after he left the dentist.  The video has over 133 million views on Youtube.  If you have never seen it, here is the two minute video:

Why am I leading my blog post about #NAESP16 with this video clip?  I had so much fun, laughed so hard, met so many amazing people, did so many cools things, that the one question that kept coming to my mind was, "Is this real life?"  

So in honor of David After Dentist here are my top moments using some quotes from the video:

"Is this real life?"

I got to present with someone I greatly admire in Jennifer Kloczko.  I was able to write a blog post with #KidsDeserveIt author Todd Nesloney (we actually wrote two blog posts, second one coming next week).  I was able to get video editing tips from Brad Gustafson.  I was able to talk and hangout with the authors of #HackingLeader Tony Sinanis and Joe Sanfelippo.  I learned and laughed with Todd Schmidt on our very long water taxi ride to and from the baseball game.  I got to talk writing and blogging with Ross Cooper.  I was able to hangout and connect with everyone in our amazing PLN: Andy Jacks, Jessica Cabeen, Julie Vincentsen, Kas Nelson, Kathy Melton, Kyle Hoopes, Lindsy Stumpenhorst, Liz Garden, Lynn Colon, Mark French, Nick Proud, and Theresa Stager.  Forget just being some of the best educators I know, these people are some of the best people I know.

"Don't touch it!"

Sometimes you have to just go for it.  After our PLN all first met in person at the keynote we had the idea that we should go up on the stage and get a picture.  Were we supposed to get up on that stage?  Probably not, but it did lead to this awesome picture.

Connected leaders on stage at NAESP

"Stay in your seat."

Not sure how to explain the ferris wheel right other than my stomach hurt the next stay from laughing so hard.  This is the power of being connected.  To have so many laughs with people you just met cannot happen without being connected in someway beforehand.

"You have four eyes."

I tried writing this about 20 different times and still not sure what to say about the picture below.  Sometimes at a conference you just have to have some fun.

"I can't see anything.  Yes, you can."

As much as I love learning and making new connections, I also love to explore new places.  Our nation's Capitol is an amazing place, one I hope to be able to take my family to soon.  Between the Monuments at Moonlight tour and getting to explore the last day, I was able to see more of D.C. than I thought I was going to be able to see.

"Why is this happening to me?"

All of the opportunities to present, write, and hangout are due to the fact that I decided to become connected.  Obviously if you are reading this you are probably connected in someway.  If you are not connected, it is amazing the opportunities and friend you can meet just by deciding to connect on Voxer and Twitter. 

"Is this going to be forever?"

Obviously the conference is over so that doesn't last forever.  But what I am always amazed about is how these connections start on Twitter and Voxer and turn into so much more.  I didn't even know Jennifer Kloczko or Todd Nesloney a year and half ago and now they are very good friends.  Todd Schmidt is coming up to visit in September.  I also have no doubt that these connections and friendships will last a long time.  We will be there to support each other, ask advice, and hopefully create more memories.  So while the conference is only 3 days, the laughs and memories will be forever.  

Top 10 Tips for First Year Principals

This blog post was co-written with Todd Nesloney.  You can find Todd's website and blog here.

The first year.  We all remember it, and some of us remember it more fondly than others.  Both of us remember our first year as principals.  It was fun, scary, exhausting, exhilarating, full of laughter, and yes even some tears.

As we sit at the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), we were both reminded of our first year.  And as we were reminiscing and sharing stories, we had an idea! Why not share some of our ideas on how to make your first year as a principal be the best it can be!  We’ve both made plenty of mistakes and learned tons of examples of what TO do and what NOT to do.

So here are a few of our favorite ideas on how to make sure that your first year (or any year) as a principal is the best year ever!

1. Before making any moves stop and have a conversation

At some point in the year you will have to ask staff to help you or your school.  It is so important to start your relationship with them by getting to know them.  Learn about their family, what they love about the school, what they would change about the school, and how you can help them.  Staff will appreciate you taking the time to hear them out and get to know them.

2. Learn every staff member’s name before you start working with them

There is something powerful about hearing your name.  Knowing that someone knows your name.  But also that they know how to pronounce it correctly.  It’s so important that when you become a principal that you utilize tools at your disposal (yearbooks, website, school secretary, etc) to learn the name of every staff member before you even meet them.  Set the tone immediately that they’re important to you.

3. Be a servant

One of the best ways to lead is by serving.  Every chance you get take time to serve the staff, students, and families around you.  One thing we both do is morning, lunch, and afternoon duty every single day.  It’s so important for your team to see that you’re willing to get down in the trenches with them. It lets them see that you’re willing to get your hands dirty and that you’re not just sitting in your office.

4. Be visible, every single day

Your reputation will get set pretty quick with parents, students, and staff. It is important that they see you everywhere, especially the first few weeks.  Talk to teachers before school to see how they’re doing.  Greet students as they arrive.  Go out to recess and lunch.  Especially the first few weeks, go into every single classroom even if it is only for a few minutes.  Be so visible that parents, students, and teachers are tired of seeing you everywhere.

5. Find Ways to Lighten Loads, Not Weigh them Down

Your job as a principal is to move your school forward and improve the school.  There are many ways to improve your school without adding to all that your staff already does.  Find those ways.  When the load becomes too much, listen to your staff about what adds to their stress, and take what you can off their plate.  They’ll respect you so much more when you notice those “extras” and remove what you can.

6. Read with Classes

One of our favorite things to do is to read with classrooms. We make it a point to get into every classroom a couple times a year and read.  We read books we like, books that cover our themes, or even books recommended by students or other teachers.  When a principal reads to a classroom it shows that literacy is important.

7. Feed Them

It is amazing how food can change the tone of a meeting or a Friday.  We both know that budgets can be tight and there are sometimes rules around spending money on food.  But find a way to treat your staff.  It might be something as easy as popcorn and chocolate at a staff meeting.  Or maybe a nacho bar on a Friday.  Find a way to treat your staff from time to time.

8. Listen More Than You Talk

One of the most important things you can do as a first year principal (or any year for that matter), is listen more than you talk.  And genuinely listen.  Ask people how their day has been, and wait for an answer.  Ask how you can help, and then help them! Ask your staff for feedback, ideas, and more!  Listen, listen, listen.

9. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t know” or “I’ll get back to you”

There will be parents and teachers that want answers to their questions, and want them immediately.  As first year principals we both didn’t deal with that pressure well and would give answers too quickly.  It is important to know you can tell a staff member or parent that you don’t know or you need more time to think about it, and that you will get back to them.  Make sure you do get back to them in a timely manner, but just know it is ok to step back and give yourself time to make the best decision possible.  

10. Stop and Take Care of Yourself

As principals, whether we’re a first year or not, we can forget to take care of ourselves.  Sometimes the load becomes more than we can bear.  It’s important to remember to stop and breathe sometimes.  Schedule in time to sit and eat if you need to, take a moment to close your office door and have 5 minutes to clear your head, go sit in the middle of a kindergarten classroom and be surrounded by wonder and awe.  Whatever is “your thing”, find time to do it.  When we don’t take care of ourselves we injure the whole team.  It’s like the saying goes, “when the principal sneezes, everyone gets a cold”.

BONUS: You’re not in this alone

It’s incredibly important to remember this point: you are not alone. Being a principal can be one of the loneliest education jobs out there. There is a constant incredible amount of weight placed on your shoulders.  Find your people.  Utilize social media (twitter, voxer, blogger groups, etc) to connect and surround yourself with others who will lift you up, hear you out, and challenge you all at the same time.  Don’t try to do this job alone.  

Being a first year principal brings many ups and downs.  There will be days you leave school thinking you are the greatest principal in the world and days you leave thinking that there has to be a better leader for your school.  Just know being a principal does matter.  The job you’re doing is an important and worthwhile job.  You will make a huge difference for your students, your teachers, and your staff.

Being a principal is hard. It’s not meant for everyone, and can often feel like a very lonely position, but we wouldn’t change our decision to step into this role for a second.

As you begin getting ready for a new school year, we hope you consider using a few of the ideas we’ve come up with above. Both of us absolutely loved teaching in the classroom but we can honestly say that being a principal is the best job in the world.  

Ideas For Teacher and Staff Appreciation

Principals in my district and PLN are always looking to share ideas of how to show our appreciation for our teachers and staff members.  Here are a few of the fun things our Parent Teacher Club (PTC) and I did to help show our Stoneridge staff how much we appreciate them during Staff Appreciation Week.

PTC's theme this year was Dr. Seuss.

Awesome decorations in the staff room.

Some of the things we did cost money, some were completely free.  I am lucky that I have parents that help celebrate our teachers and that we set aside part of the PTC budget for this week.  Even if you don't have the same parent support, I think you can still do a lot of these things and let your staff know how thankful you are for all their hard work.

Dessert day treats

I started the week off by asking students what makes staff members the best.  Using iMovie on iPad is so easy.  Just take the videos and dump them into iMovie and upload it to YouTube.

We do something special each day during the week.  Here is the schedule we had for students. Students were encouraged to:

Monday: Wear your teacher/staff member's favorite color
Tuesday: Bring your teacher/staff member a flower
Wednesday: Write your teacher/staff member a note or poem
Thursday: Bring your teacher/staff member their favorite snack
Friday: Bring your teacher classroom supplies or other fun surprise!

Also every staff member received a framed photo of their class.  We took the pictures during PE so teachers would be surprised.

Framed photo of their class for each teacher.

In our staff room we had food or drinks each day.  Here is the schedule for the food and treats:
Monday: Pink Yink Ink Drinks.  Lemonade, Iced Coffee, Tea provided.
Thursday: Biffer-Baum Breakfast.  We did a Sign-Up Genius for parents to bring in breakfast foods.
Wednesday: Hop On Popcorn Bar.  Different types of Popcorn.  Also parents could bring in $25 gift cards for staff members.  We did a Sign-Up Genius for the gift cards with the hope to get 25-30 gift cards.
Thursday: Who-Feast Luncheon.  We did a Sign-Up Genius for parents to bring in lunch food.
Friday: Who-Treats Dessert Bar.  Desserts for the staff.

Handwritten notes from a student to his teacher.

We have promoted the love of reading more than ever this year, so instead of just giving the gift cards, I put them in books.  Throughout the year I have gone in and read books in the classroom.  I have collected books all year long and gave them away on Wednesday.  Every teacher received a book with a gift card inside.

Now I know some of this seems like it costs a lot of money but the last thing might be what made the teachers feel the most appreciated.  I asked them to fill out a Google form with the name and address of someone special in their life.  I then wrote a handwritten letter to each teacher's special person.  It was fun to let their parent, spouse or child know just how much I appreciate the hard work of each teacher at our school.  Thank you to Todd Nesloney for blogging about the great idea.

Our teachers, librarians, secretaries, psychologists, nurses, speech therapists, custodians, aides, cashiers, cooks, meal duty supervisors, and whatever other positions you have on your campus all work so hard.  The staff loved the week and all the hard work by the community.  Parents and students seemed genuinely happy to be able to show our staff how much they appreciate everyone's hard work.  It was a really special week for our school.

Below are some other pictures of the decorations from the week:

Why I Don't Do Countdowns

As the calendar turns to May the inevitable always happens, people start asking how many days are left of school.  Just this past week three different parents asked me.  It is not that they mean any harm. They are just making conversation and let's face it, the school day countdown has been a part of our culture for a long time.  But here is the thing about how many days are left in the school year, I genuinely do not know.  The parents seemed surprised but I tell them, I don't countdown the days until the end of the year.

Before you say this is coming from a grumpy old administrator, I didn't do countdowns as a teacher (well after my first year) either.  Don't get me wrong, I love summer.  Summer means I get to spend more time with my kids, family, read more books, go on more bike rides, go on a few trips.  I love summer, but I also love my job and love that we get to make a difference.

It also doesn't mean that I don't plan out what I have left to do for the rest of the year.  I know there are only so many more days for professional development, days to meet with teachers, days to get into classrooms.  There are only so many days left to get things done for this school year so I still plan.

From an educator's perspective I get it.  Teaching and working with kids is a lot of work and there is a break not too far in the distance.  Teaching can be exhausting.  Being a principal can be exhausting.  But I do not believe in counting down the days left in a school year.  There are a few reasons for it:

It Can Send the Wrong Message
Obviously not every teacher, parent or principal that has used a countdown has used it in a negative way but some definitely have.  At the first school I taught, I saw teachers counting down like they couldn't wait to never see their students again.  And students can feel it.  Sure some of them can't wait for school to be out but some need the structure of school.  For some students, school is the best thing they have going.  And for other students they just love learning and why would they want to see something they love end?  Counting down can come across that you aren't making the most of everyday and that you can't wait to see your students leave.

Great quote from Chris Pombonyo, first grade teacher in Florida.

Each Day Is Too Important
We only get so many days with our students.  Our students deserve our best every single day.  It doesn't matter if it is day 1 or day 179 of the school year.  They deserve our full effort and attention.  Let's say we don't give it our all for just the last 5 days of school.  That is hardly anything right?  Well if every year a student has that in their TK-12 education that is 70 days of learning that they will be missing out on.  Each day we get to influence and teach our students.  While counting down doesn't mean you aren't giving your all, it comes across that you are just waiting out the rest of the year.


The More You Act Like the School Year is Over Soon, The More Students Will Act The Same Way
My first year teaching I counted down days just like everyone else.  I realized the more I acted like the year was almost over the students' behavior got worse.  So my second year and every year after that I told my students we will learn until the last day of school.  The more I emphasized that learning never ends and that we keep learning, the more students would work and their behavior would be more like it was in October than like 8th graders that were a few days away from never seeing middle school again.  The end of the school year is a perfect time as a teacher to try new things.  You might find something you love and want to start from day 1 next year.

Teachers need a break and teaching can be exhausting.  But signs like this one I just saw last week in a local store gives teachers a bad name. 

If you feel you need to countdown you can countdown how many days you have left in a fun way like Principal Melissa Kartsimas describes in her blog ABC Countdown or countdown how many days you have left to make a difference like my friend Todd Schmidt says in his blog post How Many Days Left to Make a Difference.

For me though I won't be counting down.  I am unfortunately all too aware that the number of days we have left to enjoy this school year and make a difference are getting lower.  My own children go to my school, and everyday that passes is one less day I get to be their principal.  Luckily I still have a few more years with them.  But for the rest of this school year and every school year after this one I won't be counting down days.  I am too busy having fun and enjoying what I do to countdown the days.

Why We Are Moving On From AR

This post was written with Rachael Peck (@rachaelpeck23, you can check out her blog here).  Rachael and I are both elementary school principals in the Roseville City School District.  Before being principals, Rachael was an elementary school teacher and then a middle school ELA/History teacher, and I was a middle school math teacher. Both of us are passionate and avid readers.

What has Accelerated Reader (AR) been used for in the past at our schools?

AR has been used as an accountability system to set point goals for kids to achieve by taking quizzes that only include multiple choice questions to check for basic understanding. The points and quizzes are used to monitor if students are reading.

For one year, AR would cost Stoneridge, a school of 550 kids, $4,085.  For Sargeant, 450 kids, the cost would be $3,515.

What do we want for our students?

As principals and parents we want our children to develop and continue a love of reading.  We want them to enjoy reading.  We want students to engage in conversation about books and topics they’ve read.  We want students to be excited about what they’re reading and choose to read; not feel they have to read.

The Stoneridge Staff all dressed up for Storybook Character Dress Up Day.

What do some students and some teachers like about AR? AND What can we do instead?

What do some students and teacher like about AR? Earning points creates competition      →                  Taking quizzes holds kids accountable → for reading and makes it easy to know if they are reading

What can we do instead? Book Challenge   Book Conferences with the Teacher Padlet (See example below) Google Forms (See example below) Book Reviews and Commercials

Example of 3rd Grade Google Form

3rd Grade Padlet Wall

What do others say about AR?

There are many resources and articles linked below, but we also wanted to pull out a few excerpts from authors, teachers, and principals around the country.  

In The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller, she states, “Programs like Accelerated Reader or Scholastic Reading performance counts, in which books are assigned a point value and students must complete a multiple-choice test after reading them, are the worst distortion of reading I can think of….Furthermore, shifting the purpose for reading a book toward the memorization of plot details and away from an overall appreciation for the books changes how students read.”  

In a recent blog post, teacher and author Pernille Ripp stated, “We must be reading to read.  Not for rewards, not for points, not for accomplishment charts, or even to move through levels.  We must read to become better human beings.  We must read so that we can shape the world around us.”

Jennifer LaGarde, Lead School Library Media Coordinator said: I don't know about you, but... I did not become a reader because someone held me accountable for reading. I did not become a reader because someone offered me "points" or other incentives for the quantity of books or pages I read. I did not become a reader because someone limited my reading selections to only to those titles on a certain reading level or within a specific lexile band. And I did not become a reader because someone forced me to complete reading logs, write book reports or create (and then reuse) the occasional diorama.

Stephen Krashen, educational researcher, stated,  “Despite the popularity of AR, we must conclude that there is no real evidence supporting it, no real evidence that the additional tests and rewards add anything to the power of simply supplying access to high quality and interesting reading material and providing time for children to read them.”

Brandon reading to 1st grade students

As a school, what are you doing to develop the love of reading in both students and staff?

BB: Posters around school for teachers to write “What I am Currently Reading”

Free Book for every student

Storybook Character Dress Up Day

Principal Reads to Every Class at least 4 times a year

Reading Book Whisperer -  entire staff

Collective Commitments Around Reading

RP: Staff Displays their “Hot Read”  - book they’re currently reading or a favorite

Principal Reads to Every Class at least 4 times a year

Monthly Book Cart at Recess - students give a book/take a book
Surprise Guest Readers

Read-A-Thons

Door Decorating with Favorite Dr. Seuss Book

Rachael reading One to 3rd grade students 

What are your personal experiences with AR?

RP:  I’ll admit, as a teacher I used AR in my classroom.  I tweaked it to make it work for me, but there were some things that I liked. Over the past two years I’ve been reading about reading. I’ve taken the time to ask myself what I truly want for not only my own two children but all of the students at our school. I want them to enjoy reading and develop a passion for reading that stays with them throughout their life. This leads me to the question, does AR support that desire?

I think AR can appear to create a desire to read, but it's really just a desire to earn the points and reach the goal. What if the points are gone? Will the child still want to read? What happens if there is something they want to read without points?

On a personal note, my oldest son is an avid reader and has been since 2nd grade. He loves competition so he loves earning his points to prove that he can meet his goal. At the same time, this year I saw him abandon books that he wanted to read for two reasons: there was no AR quiz and books he received as a present (that he really wanted!) were only worth one point and he didn't want to waste his time. It was a sad moment for me when I saw that because of the guidelines around AR, he was giving up on books he really wanted to read.

Enjoying reading with a friend 

BB: I love competition.  It is part of the reason I love sports.  But if we are creating competition where students are losing when it comes to reading, it is wrong.  Have we had students miss their AR goal and feel like a total failure?  Yes we have.  And any system where students feel like they are not a reader because they missed a goal is wrong, especially when they might have read plenty.

My daughter loved reading The One and Only Ivan.  She had to tell me all about it everyday until she was finished.  She told me it was her favorite book she had ever read.  When she went to school to take the AR test she scored a 60%, she didn’t pass yet I know she could tell you everything about that book.  A little while later she was talking to a friend at our house about books they liked.  I didn’t hear her recommend The One and Only Ivan.  I asked her why and her response was that it was just ok.  I know she felt that way because she didn’t pass the AR test.

We had an author come and visit our school.  His book was mainly for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders.  The author did a great job talking about the writing process and then went into his newest book.  Students were so excited about the book because of the way he described it.  After he was done giving his presentation, he asked if there were any questions.  The very first question that came up, “How many AR points is your book worth”.  Depending on what answer he gave students would either still want to read it or for some the book wouldn’t be worth enough points and therefore not worth reading.  

Wrapping it All Up

We know we stated it earlier but our main goal is for our students to love to read.  We want students that are lifelong readers and you don’t do that by worrying about how many points a book is worth or having to answer low level multiple choice questions.  Students become lifelong readers when they have choice in what they get to read, when they have adults that model a love of reading, when they get to have authentic conversations about the books they read and when they read to read and not because of rewards.  When we look at cost, rewards, limiting book selection, having students take tests that no adult would ever do after they read a book, AR doesn’t make sense to us.  And for all those reasons, that is why we are moving on from AR.

Articles or resources to share:

A Closer Look at Reading Incentives Programs- Alfie Kohn

How to Accelerate a Reader- EdWeek Blog Post by Donalyn Miller

How We Can Help Our Book Abandoners- Blog Post by Pernille Ripp

The 18 Reasons Not to Use AR- Pennington Publishing

I've Got Research. Yes, I Do.  I've Got Research. How About You?- Blog post by Donalyn Miller

A Defense of AR- Blog Post by Rita Platt

If They Don't Read Much, How They Ever Gonna Get Good?- Richard L. Allington