Principal Spotlight: Andy Jacks, video and school leader extraordinaire

Happy National Principals Month! To celebrate all the amazing things principals do for our children and communities, we're spotlighting Nationally Distinguished Principal, Andy Jacks. We're super fans of Andy at WeVideo HQ for the incredible videos he makes on a weekly basis. Check out his famous #30SecondBookTalk videos We Don't Eat Our Classmates, It's not Jack and the Beanstalk, We're all Wonders. And find him on Twitter @_AndyJacks and @dadsasprincipal, and his blog andyjacks.co.

Talking with Andy is equal parts motivational speech and principal love. You walk away feeling inspired, moved and woke to this idea: in the words of Andy, But shouldn't every conversation leave you feeling motivated?

Andy, what does it mean to be a principal? Being a principal means that I have the opportunity, every single day, to make a difference. I hate taking days off, I can't miss one. Every day brings unique opportunities to provide resources, support, direction, and whatever it takes for every child to be successful in our school.

As a principal, we have the ability to think long-term to student situations. I work for students their whole elementary career. I know many of my students' families even before the student was born. I had a new student ask me recently, How long have you been a principal? I said, How old are you? He said, Nine. Well I've been a principal about as long as you been alive! Many times we get stuck on short-term goals, we think how are we going to get through the year, but for a principal, this can be more about long-term success for the entire elementary career and beyond.

I love my job because I can provide an engaging school that students love to come to, feel safe, and a place where they belong.

My first group of 5th graders as a first year principal are now graduating from high school!!! I'm so proud of them! Don't ever forget that Mr. Jacks has your back! #ashlandsoar #pwcsproud #principalsinaction #KidsDeserveIt

We LOVE your #30SecondBookTalk videos. Why do you use video for your job? I dove into the social media world in 2014 inspired by, now my friends, Brad Gustafson and Tony Sinanis because of how they helped me to reframe and rethink my overall communication plan with my community. I used to make fancy newsletters that had links and information, but then I found out from one of my parents on my advisory council that he never read them! So that was the last traditional newsletter I ever wrote.

Over time, I came to realize the power of connecting with people in a way that forms a positive relationship. Generally people don't connect well via print, such as email or newsletters. With print, parents don't get to know you as a person, they just see you as a position. Video redefines how I communicate and the message that I'm sending. Parents get to know me as me and how I care about their child. It's hard to explain how I care about their child in print. But with video, you can see it in the eyes and get a glimpse into a person's heart and see how much they really care.

It's all about having your school community TRUST you as a leader and trust your decisions. If they feel they know you and trust you, they are more likely to have faith in decisions you're making for their child. Video does such a great job at that. They can hear your tone of voice and see your facial expression. These explain a lot more that print doesn't show you. Even if a situation is tough and we tend to use formal letters, I say use video even more! For example, we had a problem with a yearbook order. I sent parents a video on social media and via email. It was very to the point, These aren't ready, and I don't want to send any home unless they are ready for everyone. I personally take responsibility for the delay. We're doing everything we can to get these to you as soon as possible. If you have to apologize, doing so through a heartfelt video goes a long way to connect with families and maintain that positive relationship and trust.

What is the impact you've seen on your school community from your videos? We get way more views on videos and pictures than any kind of print. Our responses from parents are things like, THIS IS WHY I ABSOLUTELY LOVE OUR SCHOOL, or my favorite, I wish my child went to this school! Our responses have been outstanding, especially when I'm involving kids and teachers and giving shout outs for the amazing things that they're doing.

Andy creates weekly Friday Five videos where he recaps all the amazing things happening at school every week.

Video is a great way to make all the amazing ideas, programs, and activities happening at school come to life. I go back to the idea that if parents and staff can explicitly say a handful of things that make their school great every week, then you're doing a good job. If they can't say exactly why they like your school or don't even know much about what's going on, you have to own that as a leader and improve your communication strategies.

Parents often tell me their preschooler asks them every day to watch one of the Mr. Jacks & the Falcon videos or another one of our fun videos. By the time they start attending our school, they know who I am and are already bought in. They look for me and know that I have their back. When parents, grandparents, and other extended family members see the videos, they say to me, Man I've been waiting to meet you! It creates a common bond. The principal if not anything else is the symbolic leader for the school. If they feel comfortable with what the principal is preaching, they are more likely to feel comfortable with the rest of it. It's important to show them as a leader what kind of school their children go to.

Who are you making th

LINK:	https://www.wevideo.com/blog/news/principal-spotlight-andy-jacks-video...
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