Journey Into Mastery - Week 14: Tools of the Trade

As an administrator I spend a large chunk of time in my office and it can quickly become a place that can become highly charged when a difficult situation arises. Whether a student has been sent down for behavior, is dysregulated, a staff member is having a tough time, or a parent is upset or concerned, having tools around to help can make that job easier. How you configure your room can be a key strategy in your day-to-day to make things a little smoother. Your room is more than just a place to put your stuff, it is where you do your work, no different than a classroom is for teachers.

Oftentimes teachers have a variety of things in their classroom to better meet the needs of their students and themselves. These sometimes include: flex seating, extra supplies, sensory bins, classroom libraries, etc. All are things designed to be readily available for the day, the office should be no different.

Below are a few things that I keep around that can be helpful on a day-to-day basis:

Candy

I keep candy (usually large sour keys, but sometimes chocolate) in my office. It gives staff an excuse to pop by sometimes when they want a sugar fix or just want an excuse to come by and chat. Associating the office as being more than a place of administration and discipline is important for staff, students and yourself as well.

The second thing that it does is when I have dysregulated students, giving them a sour key, which takes some work to chew, helps them to regulate. Dr. Jody Carrington in Kids These Days talks about how you cannot have your lid flipped (be dysregulated) and eat at the same time. This can be a fast way to bring a student back into a regulated state before trying to work them on the cause of the dysregulation. As a side note, I have had some criticism that when a student acts up they sometimes come back to class with candy as if they are being rewarded. My response is usually to ask if they ever noticed that when they came back, the student was in a much better place, the problem was solved, and we could get on with the learning.

Of course, some students just pop by to look for a treat which is also fine since it is still a positive interaction between you and them. Providing food is a very basic association with people since it meets a basic need. We also keep granola bars, juice boxes and some other food items around for hungry students. If students learn to associate the office with being cared for, they are less likely to be hostile if sent there from class.

Funko Wall

Here you can see my Funko Pop wall, which are essentially just small figurines of various characters. Some include super heroes, video game characters, TV and movie characters, etc. There are 67 of them currently. I started collecting them when I started administration (my wife gave me a superman one) and they have grown ever since. Some have come from students and colleagues which also serve as a nice reminder of those connections. They are also a great conversation starter with students who are in my office for the first time when I ask if they can recognize any of them and leverage this as a conversation starter.

They also help me when I need to regulate a student as well. When students start to become dysregulated and spin out, I ask them to count them, or how many are superheroes, or how many have yellow hair, etc. Giving them something to focus on helps them to become more grounded which helps to regulate them emotionally which is key to unpacking the issue with them.

Tissues

Never underestimate having tissues readily available! Students, staff or parents can easily become upset and emotional so you never know when it will come in handy!

Office Bench

In our main office we have a bench rather than chairs in our waiting area. Oftentimes when students are sent to the office, I like to sit beside them on the bench to talk about it. It removes the power structure inherent in the conversations in my office with a desk between us. When we sit side-by-side it promotes the idea that we are in a situation together and that we are working together to get out of it. I have found that I have gotten a long way with some students by not taking the conversation into my office. A caveat to this is I rarely do this when other students are around since I wouldn’t want to embarrass them.

My conversation usually starts with questions such as ‘Are you here cause you need a minute?’ or ‘Did you come to see me?’ I try to do this in a conversational and non-judgmental tone which is key for this type of interaction. There are other times when I need to give a student a choice and then walk away to my inner office to give them a couple of minutes to decide which choice they will make without me standing over them. This removes the idea of me compelling an answer and setting up a power struggle and 9 times out of 10 then will make a good decision and we can sort the situation quickly and get on with our day.

Games

There are various cards and games in my office as well. These include a standard deck of cards, Spot it, and an old Tetris game that I have. These are short and fun activities I can do with students to help build rapport or again to regulate when need be. Never underestimate the time put in with a student in these sorts of activities. It helps to build a connection that can be leveraged later when the situation escalates.

Degrees

I am not big on drawing attention to my accomplishments. I have 3 Degrees and a Masters but they were all at home buried in a trunk. I knew my accomplishments and didn’t have any burning desire to advertise that. However, a colleague of mine mentioned that they should be in my office where students and parents could see them. Their thinking was that when you are in a doctor's office and notice their credentials, it can serve to give you a feeling of confidence in their expertise. The same is true for education. This may be especially helpful when we encounter the sentiment from a slice of the public, that because everyone went to school everyone is an expert. Sometimes having them there helps those difficult parent conversations go more smoothly since it can help to build trust in you as a professional.

It is really important though that your 'bedside manner' remains down to earth and personable. You would never want to use it as a barrier in connecting with someone who may be intimidated by it.

Mini-Fridge

It can be really easy to get caught up in the day and not get time to eat. Snacks and bottles of water that are easy to get at can be a simple and easy way have taking care of yourself. One of my mentors early in my administrative career tipped me on to this and told me to always have both nearby because having both readily available in arm's reach can make a world of difference to your well-being. When your energy starts to lag you may not realize that you are dehydrated or hungry from talking and/or running around all day. If you find yourself getting irritable it may be that physical lack of food or water, and it isn't that uncommon to miss lunch in a busy school.

It is also extremely helpful for students who may need to store insulin, medications that need to be kept cool or other things that you may need to access in a hurry. Even when I am gone my assistant principal and secretary know what is in there (they use it as well) so they can access it on behalf of students.

Beach Picture

I grew up on a sandy beach (my hometown of Sandy Cove is actually named for it and it is the same beach that you can see in my twitter header) and for me the beach has always been a place that is good for my soul. It is a fully stress free place that can immerse all my senses and helps me to recharge. As an adult, I live about 3 hours away from that beach so I can’t walk it with as much regularity as I would like. But, keeping a picture of it above my computer monitor helps me to visualize walking down it when I am having a tough day and get my head back on. This one I keep for me. I do the same with pictures of my own children to help ground me in what is the most important parts of my life. There should absolutely be things in your space that are there for you as well as others, whether it is to inspire, regulate, or even just make life easier you have to be there, you need to make it work for you.

You may sense a theme here of things to help with regulation. I firmly believe that much of the behaviours that we find ourselves faced with are due to a lack of regulation rather than a choice to escalate a situation. Having these tools set up can help me through the day and helps to personalize my space. There are so many other things that you could use that can be helpful (like tissues!). Think about how you have set your space up and what is available to you or could make some of the situations you deal with a little smoother.

~ Owen

@omatchim