“Other Duties As Assigned” – An Introduction
Written by: Brent Schwanekamp
You must not have read the fine print. If you are looking for where that task you have been asked to do, or more likely, that task you see which needs to be done is listed in your administrative job responsibilities and you can’t find it, then you are doing “Other Duties as Assigned.”
After ten years as a high school administrator and twenty-plus years as an educator, I wanted a way to share my experiences with other administrators: new, aspiring, or veteran. I have always loved mentoring and working with aspiring educators. I worked with student teachers when I was in the classroom, with new teachers as their administrator, with high school students who were interested in teaching through our cadet teaching program, and more recently, with aspiring and new administrators. These conversations and observations have filled my bucket through the years, and then came a little podcast through Keep Indiana Learning called YaySTEM! This isn’t some ordinary podcast, but one that has been a true joy to watch as my wife, Karisa (more on her later), and two teaching colleagues share about all things STEM. In February, they did an episode called Yay4Admin and had me and another administrator join them. It was so much fun. I knew the joy that Karisa got from the work and it inspired me to reach out to Keep Indiana Learning to propose this podcast for administrators.
And six episodes later, we have delved deeper into several “duties” that can impact an administrator. The goal of this endeavor is to share stories, insights, and tricks to help you “strive and thrive as an administrator.” Here is where we have been in Season 1.
“These other duties can also lead to greater success for your students, teachers, and school. When I am having a tough day, I often turn to an “other duty” to help me recharge and recenter.”
Just like I started this piece, this episode is the what and the why of Other Duties As Assigned. More specifically, it looks at how these unhyped portions of the jobs can lead to the most joy and fulfillment in an administrative office, an office that too often can be focused on discipline and angry parents. These other duties can also lead to greater success for your students, teachers, and school. When I am having a tough day, I often turn to an “other duty” to help me recharge and recenter.
EP 2: The Most Important Duty: Building Relationships
Nothing an administrator (or really any adult in a school) does is more important than building relationships with the school community. Administrators have to make time for and be intentional about building relationships with students, staff, families, and the community. Building these relationships makes everything easier and creates critical allies for when you need them later. It also allows you to have tough conversations and make hard decisions when the time comes for those as well. The crazy part about this duty is that there is no secret sauce to building relationships. There is only the heart of a true educator who cares about people and is willing to talk with them and show them they care.
EP 3: Managing Stress because There is Going to Be Stress
All jobs have stress. Learning to find ways to manage this stress has been a journey for me. I have read, listened to, and experimented with different strategies to help with stress. I learned from happiness experts about establishing a centering routine with exercise, fresh air, and meditation. I have begun to practice meditation and yoga, and have even taken a cold plunge or two.
This podcast episode is an insight into my path through the minefield of stress. I took time to talk about building strong relationships with mentors, peers, and your support system. Stress is inevitable, but you can develop the skills to move on and stay happy. There were a lot of great resources that came up during the episode. I would encourage you to dive into these to add tools to your stress-busting toolbox.
- The Happiness Advantage (Shawn Achor)
- 10% Happier (Dan Harris)
- The Open-Air Life: Discover the Nordic Art of Friluftsliv and Embrace Nature Every Day (Linda Åkeson McGurk)
EP 4: Why Don’t You Have a Teacher Dashboard?
I love technology. It helps us organize and simplify processes. Whenever I see inefficiencies in our school, I look for a tech tool to make it better. In the fourth episode of “Other Duties as Assigned,” I shared a tool that has been a great addition at Plainfield High School: the Teacher Dashboard. Like most good ideas, this one was borrowed from my friends at Plainfield Community Middle School. Brooke Walden, Assistant Principal at PCMS, shared the way they organize information so teachers don’t have to go searching through email for important information and documents. We explored how it simplifies resource organization, providing teachers with fingertip access to essential materials. The teacher dashboard facilitates seamless communication and enhances school-wide organization, making every academic year smoother than the last. This improvement is used daily at PHS and simplifies life for teachers and administrators. When I mentioned to a PHS teacher-friend that I was doing a podcast for administrators, she looked me in the eye and said, “You have to talk about the Teacher Dashboard.”
If you are lucky enough to work with a truly amazing educator, you know how transformative they can be inside and outside of the classroom. I am lucky enough to be married to one. In Episode 5, I teamed up with Karisa to talk about AI and its growing impact on teaching and learning. Karisa is currently our district’s Technology Integration Specialist. This is a role that she transitioned into after 20 years of amazing classroom instruction. Karisa was recognized as a Top Ten Teacher of the Year candidate for the State of Indiana in 2023.
This episode was fun to make as we shared how we have seen AI emerging in impactful ways in a multitude of classrooms at Plainfield High School and across our district. Together, we explored how AI can empower students and teachers and shared resources from experts like Matt Miller and Holly Clark. I share some personal experiences with AI as I offer practical tips to help administrators leverage AI in their daily routines.
No one is more humble than great teachers and great schools. We should be shouting from the rooftops about the amazing ways students are learning and creating in our classrooms. This final episode of Season 1 focused on the challenge of effectively communicating your school’s successes. From teacher newsletters to social media, I explored strategies to keep everyone informed and engaged. Every teacher has a phone. I ask them to snap 3 or 4 pictures and send me a sentence about what is going on. This is where I jump back to Episode 5 and use AI to help craft some creative captions for social media. Then I post away remembering that a picture is worth a thousand words.
This got a lot easier for me when we built a strong brand for our school and corporation. It removed a lot of the guesswork. Which red is the right red? Which font works here? I could keep things simple and all of our stakeholders know it was from us as soon as they see it. We even created a Brand Manual that spelled out fonts, colors, and logos so everyone in our district could tap into this simplifying process. Our messaging and visual identity have become standardized, ensuring a consistent and impactful presence across all platforms. Whether you’re an administrator seeking communication tips, a teacher curious about how your work is shared, or simply interested in educational branding, this episode will help you break out of your humility to share with everyone what is happening in your school.
“We should be shouting from the rooftops about the amazing ways students are learning and creating in our classrooms.”
Season 2 and Beyond
When I started this process, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to create. I had what I thought was a great title, a little experience, and a passion to share with others. Watching my wife grow through her podcast was the little push I needed to try this for myself. I am so glad that I did and thankful to have a willing partner in Keep Indiana Learning.
I am going to dig a little deeper in Season 2. I will start with three episodes focused on Back to School thoughts that will look at several ways to support teachers, students, and yourself as you start a new year. From there, I plan to dig into teacher recruitment, new administrator experiences, and other school leadership topics. I am going to reach out to my friends from elementary and secondary schools to share a wider variety of insights into the “Other Duties as Assigned” from across the different settings. I hope you find 10 minutes to join me for each episode. You can connect with me on social media – @OtherDuties_k12 on X and @otherduties.k12 on Instagram.
Resources
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