Category Education

PMP:122 Packing Parachutes – Why Your Money Management Matters

: Play in new window | DownloadThe other day I was talking to a friend of mine who ran track in high school. When he was at his fastest, he could run a mile in 4 minutes and 30 seconds.…

PMP:121 The Power of Play – 7 Tips for Education Leaders

: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I spotted the mud puddle, I thought it would be fun to jump it. The dirt road that ran along the edge of the field by our West Tennessee farmhouse was often traveled…

PMP:Encore06 – Essential Questions for a New School Year (& Predicting the Weather)

: Play in new window | DownloadHow are you anticipating the start of a new school year? This week I wanted to share some thoughts from a previous post as reminders for your new school year: Predicting Your School Climate Sometimes my…

PMP:120 A Leader’s Spiritual Growth – Four Reasons Your Faith Matters

: Play in new window | DownloadA few weeks ago, I was on an airplane with my oldest daughter, Emily, who just finished her first year of college and is enjoying summer break. Being with her brings back a lot…

PMP:Bonus03 – Answers to Listener Questions + Thoughts from the Road

: Play in new window | DownloadI’ve been on the road (and in planes) a lot the summer, and I have been thinking about issues and ideas I’ve been wanting to share with Principal Matters readers and listeners. This week…

PMP:119 Your Friendships – Learning to Climb Together

: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I was in college, I had my first experience in mountain climbing. I was traveling in Guatemala for a summer missions outreach when one morning, we woke up before dawn and rode a…

PMP:118 Growing Leaders Takeaways – Crucial Conversations About Students

: Play in new window | DownloadThe other morning, I woke up early in a hotel room in Atlanta, Georgia. For a moment, I couldn’t remember where I was. Then it dawned on me that I was presenting that morning…

PMP:117 Your Time – Are you Making the Most of Each Moment?

: Play in new window | DownloadBalance is a popular word among life coaches and leadership authors. As important as it is to remember to invest in the meaningful areas of your life, too many people place unrealistic expectations upon…

PMP:116 The Starbucks Story – Three Lessons for School Leaders

: Play in new window | DownloadRecently, Howard Schultz, the owner and CEO of Starbucks announced he will be retiring as CEO of the company. This news comes after several years of stunning success for a company whose stock price…

PMP:115 A Leader’s Influence – How is the Air You Breathe?

: Play in new window | DownloadIn 2010, I had the privilege of traveling to China for ten days on an education tour. One morning in Beijing, I headed outside the hotel before breakfast for a quick run. Later as…

PMP:Encore027 Ten Tips for Interviewing for an Education Opening

: Play in new window | DownloadLast week I was on the phone with a teacher who will soon be interviewing for an assistant principal opening. Just this past week, I have talked to two superintendents and a principal who…

PMP:114 Reflections on Your Learning: What’s on Your Playlist?

: Play in new window | DownloadMy mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s. The condition began about ten years ago when we thought she was simply becoming more forgetful. But as her short-term memory declined, we realized she wasn’t just suffering from old…

PMP:113 Building Positive School Communities – Interview with Principal Mike Crase

: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I drove into the parking lot at East Central High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, I was greeted by bright yellow arrows on the parking lot, pointing the direction for incoming and outgoing traffic.…

PMP:112 Reflections for Education Leaders – How Are You Tending Your Body?

: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I was little, I loved to stand in the garden as my grandparents tilled soil and put out spring tomatoes. The smell of freshly tilled dirt, the sun beating down on my back,…

PMP:111 Reflections for Education Leaders & Wearing Your Air Mask

: Play in new window | DownloadI’m a frequent flyer. The more I fly, the harder I find it is to stay focused when flight attendants are reviewing safety procedures. They could be standing right in front of me with…

PMPEncore065: Ending the School Year with Celebration

: Play in new window | DownloadLast year my student council members came to see me about an idea they had for finishing the year with positivity. These student leaders wanted to end the year was by doing something to…

PMP:110 Six Tips for Education Advocacy

: Play in new window | DownloadLast week I was walking back to my car from a visit to Oklahoma’s state capitol, when I saw a line of reporters, police, and education supporters stopped in front of me. I just…

PMP:109 The Power of One Caring Adult with Josh Shipp

: Play in new window | DownloadLast year I sat across my desk from a student whose father had abandoned him and left the state. A family in our community had taken in the young man, and our school had…

PMP:108 Using Technology to Message with Parents, the Community, and Beyond

: Play in new window | DownloadIn 2016, a Pew Research report showed 62% of adults receive news via social media – a 49% increase from 2012. 70% of people in western countries use social networks like Facebook or Twitter.…

PMP:Encore045 “Teach Like Me” Interview with Shawn Sheehan

: Play in new window | DownloadOn November 30, 2016, I sat down for a conversation with Oklahoma’s 2016 Teacher of the Year, Shawn Sheehan. That conversation became episode 045 of Principal Matters. In today’s post, I want to replay…

PMP:106 Rethinking How School Leaders Help Teachers Grow

: Play in new window | DownloadWhat kind of school environment encourages teachers to race tricycles down the hallways while also engaging in deep conversations about student learning in PLC’s? Kenny Ward, this week’s special guest, discusses how schools like…

PMP:105 Using Technology to Message with Students

: Play in new window | DownloadIn Tim Elmore’s book Generation IY, he shares data from his 2015 research showing the following trends among youth. • 75 percent post on Facebook • 73 percent shop online • 49 percent Tweet…

PMP:104 Messaging with Students — Environment, Celebration, and Communication

: Play in new window | DownloadRecently, Rachel Simmons wrote an article in the Washington Post called Perfectionism among teens is rampant (and we’re not helping). It is a good reminder how this generation of students faces challenges and opportunities different…

PMP:103 Standing Back Up When You Feel Knocked Down

: Play in new window | DownloadLast Sunday my family and I were watching the Winter Olympics when the men’s 30km Skiathlon began. As the race started, Norway’s Simen Krueger fell. Snow was flying all around him as two other…

PMP:102 Four Essentials for Advancing in Your Leadership

: Play in new window | DownloadLast week I was speaking to a group of Assistant Principals near Montgomery, Alabama, when I noticed a familiar face at a table near the back of the room. I saw a man whom…

PMP:101 Strategies for Messaging with Teachers

: Play in new window | DownloadThis summer my wife and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. For some reason, I’ve never thought of myself as older, but I realize now that I’m preparing for this anniversary, my children…

PMP:100 Celebrating One Hundred Episodes of Storytelling

: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I was ten years old, I had an old tape cassette player. It was the kind that had a built-in speaker and looked like a radio the size of small book. You know,…

PMP:099 Collaborating for Results – Interview with Dr. Judi Barber

: Play in new window | DownloadThis Christmas break, I took the family to see the newest Star Wars movie. If you haven’t seen it, please note the forthcoming spoiler alert. In the opening scene, Jedi-in-training, Rey, has journeyed to…

PMP098: Messaging with Teachers – The Foundations, Models, and Framework for Strong Instructional Leadership

: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I was in high school and college, I spent a lot of time diving for shells in the lakes near my home in West Tennessee. It wasn’t as glamorous as it sounds. Lake…

PMP:097 Building a Community of Messaging with Entanglement, Engagement, and Mission

: Play in new window | DownloadLast month I enjoyed some time away with family in West Tennessee. When I was there, my son Jack and I hiked the backwoods behind my parents’ farm. There is a winding creek that…

PMP:096 Wrapping up Another Year of Principal Matters + Bonus Takeaways

: Play in new window | DownloadHappy New Year! As I look at the past year I am grateful for the connections, relationships and opportunities to grow personally and professionally. I wanted to say a special thank you to those…

PMP:095 Encouraging Childlike Wonder in Learning

: Play in new window | DownloadA few years ago, I sat in a gymnasium with bleachers filled with middle schoolers while I watched high school student Jesse Haynes, one of my own Skiatook seniors at the time, share about…

PMP:094 Ten Takeaways on Communication & Lessons in Teamwork

: Play in new window | DownloadJust a few days ago I was presenting to principals in Wichita, Kansas. I was a little nervous because I had been having trouble with my voice from some bronchitis in my lungs. The…

PMP:093 Why are You Leading? 4 Questions for Refocusing on Your Destination

: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I was in college I climbed my first mountain which was an active volcano near Guatemala City. We loaded a bus the night before and arrived hours before sunrise to begin our hike…

PMP:092 Making ‘First Days’ Every Day, Using Key Responsibility Areas, and Helping Students Flourish

: Play in new window | DownloadOne of my favorite illustrations of the brain is not from a science magazine. It is from a Mercedes Benz advertisement. In it you see a painting of the brain with the left side…

PMP:091 Reflecting on Lessons in Leadership

: Play in new window | DownloadOne of my favorite ways to enjoy a long drive is by listening to podcasts or audio-books. And I especially find biographies a helpful way to learn lessons about life and leadership. Two audiobooks…

PMP:090 Why You Should Brand Your School with Marlena Gross-Taylor

: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I was in junior high school, everyone on my basketball team wore Converse high-tops. I’ll never forget mine: they were the color of golden-rod, and I was so proud of them that I…

PMP:089 Marching off the Map with Andrew McPeak

: Play in new window | DownloadRecently, on a trip to Philadelphia, I was sitting in airport gate seating area, which gave me a view of the ground crews prepping planes for departure. Workers were driving baggage trains, pulling fuel…

PMP:088 Moving from Average to Excellence in School Relationships

: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I was in college, I was a resident advisor in the dormitory where I lived. My dorm director, Scott Boss, was a graduate student who not only supervised all the resident advisors in…

PMP:087 Reflections on Disciplining with Dignity, Remembering Teachers, and Maintaining Sanity During Stressful Times

: Play in new window | DownloadRecently, my twelve-year-old son, Jack, and I took a long road trip from Oklahoma to West Tennessee to visit my parents. Gran and Grandaddy live in the country–so far out they receive no cell…

PMP:086 Now We’re Talking – Interview with Justin Baeder

: Play in new window | DownloadHave you ever wondered what it would be like if you walked into your child’s room at home, looked around, gave him a quick nod, and then left him a walk-through-form listing the pros…

PMP:085 Managing Demands, Dealing with Difficult People, and Promoting Positive Morale

: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I was a boy, I loved to walk the garden where my grandparents grew summer vegetables. My grandfather had an interesting way of planting tomatoes. He would dig a deep hole, scatter a…

PMP:084 Adapting to the Changing Winds of Education

: Play in new window | DownloadI’ve been reading an excellent book by Tim Elmore and Andrew McPeak, Marching Off the Map: Inspire Students to Navigate a Brand New World, and it has sparked a lot of thought. The first…

PMP: 083 The Importance of Mindset, Motivation, and Modeling for Education Leaders

: Play in new window | DownloadA few days ago I was at airport security when I ran into a parent from my previous school. We exchanged pleasantries, and I asked him about his children. As we said goodbyes, he…

PMP:082 How Can You Accomplish a Mission?

: Play in new window | DownloadThis past weekend, NASA broadcasted the final transmission of the spacecraft, Cassini, as it plunged into the atmosphere of the planet Saturn that it had orbited and monitored for the past 13 years. Cassini’s…

PMP:081 Leadership, Courage and Caution Lights for Principals

: Play in new window | DownloadThis past week I hosted a webinar for principals as a part of a book study over Principal Matters: The Motivation, Action, Courage and Teamwork Needed for School Leaders. In 2012, after being named…

PMP:080 A Reality Check for New or Aspiring Principals—10 Takeaways for the Road Ahead

: Play in new window | DownloadThe other night I was invited to visit a university classroom with sixteen educators who are working on graduate degrees in educational leadership. I listened to each of them present vision and mission statements…

PMP:079 Whose Permission Are You Waiting For?

: Play in new window | DownloadLast week I heard a presentation by Will Richardson, educator and author, who shared stories about new ways students are interacting with learning today. Here are three examples he shared: He talked about Nate…

PMP:078 How To Respond to Resistance

: Play in new window | DownloadThe other day, a principal friend emailed me this question: >>Will, I’d like your thoughts on something I grapple with: that is the importance I place on staff approval of what I do or…

PMP:077 Four Tips for #DadsAsPrincipals

: Play in new window | DownloadI’ve noticed a group of principals trending on Twitter lately using the hashtag #dadsasprincipals. And my friend Daniel Bauer recently interviewed a group of these dedicated dads at last month’s National Principal Conference. You…

PMP:076 Messaging Matters–How to Inspire Teachers, Motivate Students and Reach Communities

: Play in new window | DownloadLast month, Justin Baeder, from Principal Center Radio, invited me as a guest on his show to talk to me about my new book Messaging Matters: How to Inspire Teachers, Motivate Students, and Reach…

PMP:075 Learning from Mistakes with Jon Harper

: Play in new window | DownloadReflection is such an important part of growth — whether that involves your own growth or the growth of your school or team. Jon Harper from BAM Radio’s podcast “My Bad” is a school…