T&L Advisor Guest post — Henry Thiele, Superintendent Community High School District 99 Downers Grove, IL: We are hitting the mid-point of the school year and now is a great time to reconnect with those around you. Gathering feedback from your school community is an excellent way to strengthen bonds between people. There are many online tools for gathering this type of feedback. For example, I recently sent an anonymous Google Form to my team asking them for their opinions about my progress this year and for areas where they thought I could improve. Other tools to consider might include short journals using a Google Document, quick video check-ins using a prompt (think selfie video with a purpose), or a slideshow of photo highlights from important events from the first half of the year. In addition to checking in with your staff, reach out to your students and ask them how to make the second half of the year better than the first. Try to find something new about each student that you may have missed over the first half of the year. Being open to two-way dialogue and dedicated to learning about others around you increases your credibility and effectiveness as a teacher and leader. As John Hattie’s works shows us, this type of credibility is essential in making a difference in student achievement.
