2014 MSLBD Leaders' Conference Inspires Hope, Introspection and Action for Assistant Principal

Keelie Stucker, Assistant Principal, Excelsior Springs Middle School

Earlier this fall I attended the Midwest Symposium for Leadership in Behavior Disorders (MSLBD) in Overland Park, Kansas.  When educators gather for conferences with hundreds or maybe even a thousand people, the keynote can seem just like another face or a distant voice.  Many times keynote speakers arrive in a narrow window, rush onto stage, and then quickly hurry off to the next engagement.  But not MSLBD, this conference experience was different. 

The keynote speakers Dr. Richard Van Acker and Dr. Jerry D. Weast were informative, engaging, and shared valuable messages.  However, what truly set this conference apart from other educational experiences was the collaborative environment that existed where participants were encouraged to share ideas.  Dr. Van Acker participated in the smaller breakout sessions.  He sat in the sessions, listened and asked questions, just like me.  He was very approachable, in fact I went to Dr. Van Acker and asked him about resources from his presentation.  The speakers give me hope.  These experts are still learning, just like the rest of us.  They are not afraid to ask questions, humble themselves and let others know they don’t know everything. This was my first visit to the MSLBD and perhaps this is a one-time thing at MSLBD, but I think the planners are intentional in keeping it a welcoming environment and will continue to choose presenters that are knowledgeable and helpful.

During his keynote at MSLBD, Dr. Van Acker shared his thoughts on student discipline in our current system.  All too often our schools are heavy on punishment, but what children need is more positive praise.  Teachers don’t always realize the amount of reprimands or the absence of positive feedback.  From the presentation I brought back a system to provide teachers information on the specific kinds of feedback they are giving students.  During observations I now track these comments with the hope that teachers will use this information for reflection and work to increase the rate of positive praise in their classroom.

Dr. Weast, a former superintendent covered several topics of interest at MSLBD.  He said, “Teachers can do great things when you ask them the right questions.”  When we provide professional development it is mostly about telling teachers what to do.  Instead of telling, we need to collaborate and listen to each other.  Dr. Weast said we need to encourage our teachers to conduct action research and work together to improve student achievement. 

So many of the presentations got me thinking about our behavioral practices at Excelsior Springs Middle School.  At the pre-conference sessions I was challenged to think outside the box with our suspensions.  During another session I learned more about universal screenings and implementing a social skills curriculum.  Dr. Reese Peterson shared a website with a wealth of resources located at http://k12engagement.unl.edu.  This website will be utilized by our PBIS teams. The MSLBD was worth my investment of time.  It is always hard to be away from the building, but it gave me information, ideas, and helpful resources I can bring back to my school and use immediately.

About Keelie 
Mrs. Keelie Stucker is the 2014-2015 GKCMPA Assistant Principal of the Year. She has served as assistant principal for 5 years at Excelsior Springs Middle School, successfully leading the implementation of Tier 2 and 3 supports and providing leadership for PBIS practices. During her tenure in Excelsior Springs her school has received multiple recognitions from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for PBIS efforts including the following: Silver Level Award (2011, 2012), Gold Level Award (2013, 2014), Statewide Video Project (2014), and the Dr. Mary Richter Missouri SW-PBS District of Distinction Award (2014). Prior to administration, Mrs. Stucker served as a band director and District PDC chairperson in Excelsior Springs. 

Visit Keelie's blog: http://keeliestucker.blogspot.com/