with William D. Parker and Friends
: Play in new window | DownloadToday’s podcast episode is the first in a series responding to listener and reader questions. One assistant principal wrote me to ask, “How can I have a bigger leadership role as an assistant?” This…
One day I was visiting my family medical doctor, when a nurse asked me to follow her to another room. She asked if I would unbutton my shirt so that she connect me to some small leads and do an…
Jack is a middle school student who is found in possession of something dangerous at school. His assistant principal guides his parents and Jack through disciplinary actions based on school policy, which may include temporary or long-term removal from the…
: Play in new window | DownloadThis week is another encore episode of Principal Matters Podcast. You can link here see the original post accompanying this episode and all the show notes. Thanks for everything you do in serving schools…
: Play in new window | DownloadThe weeks of summer are a good time to revisit some original Principal Matters content. This week is an encore episode of the very first episode of Principal Matters Podcast. Listen in for reminders…
When I was a teenager, I was splitting logs for our woodpile when I couldn’t find the familiar wedge I normally used. Looking around I spotted an old axe head and decided it would have to do. Placing it into…
When I was a boy, one day my dad walked me to the back pasture of our farm. At the end of long rows of corn, he had set aside an area that he had tilled and planted with potato…
This week my friends at the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administrators are hosting a pre-conference with Ruby Payne before their annual summer events. Ruby’s teaching on understanding a framework for poverty was instrumental in opening my eyes to the…
When non-education friends ask me about my summer, I often use the cruise ship analogy. In essence, we’ve just unloaded all the passengers, so we’ll spend the next two months stocking up, rehiring where needed, and preparing for the next…
: Play in new window | DownloadWhen bad things happen, it is sometimes hard to see the good in our difficulties. A couple of years ago, I posted about my son’s battle and recovery from an infectious disease known as…
Spring time is not only busy as we finish out the school year, but also it is often a busy time for hiring new teachers or staff. Even with the pending cuts in state funding, we were excited to be…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn episode 23, I share a story from a local 10-year old boy who inspired others by his willingness to “be the legs” of his little brother in a 5K run. Listen in for…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn Episode 22, I share lessons in leadership I learned from a school crosswalk guard. I also tell a story of how a simple phrase can powerfully influence students, how attitude encourages others, and…
When Education Week did a survey a few years ago, principals were asked about the biggest frustrations of their jobs. At the top of the list was the response: “Mandates without Money.” If you’ve been in education for a few…
One day when I was a young teacher, I was shopping at a local grocery when I saw a very large man talking to a teenage girl down the aisle from where I was standing. I couldn’t hear what he…
: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I transitioned from teaching to school admin, I was surprised at the many moving parts outside the classroom that keep schools running smoothly. Even with all the ways I prepared, it still took…
My school is quickly approaching graduation. As we head into the last five weeks of school, I’m reminded that not all educators consider our North American summer the end of their school year. In Sydney, for instance, schools just ended…
: Play in new window | DownloadMy school is preparing for the last days of school, but Episode 18 of the PMPodcast shares ideas from Harry Wong’s First Days of School–ideas that work all year long. Communication about the basics…
The other day I was presenting to a small group of teachers and assistant principals on the many hats school leaders wear. As I was closing, I asked them to look at me. Everyone fixed his or her eyes on…
: Play in new window | DownloadStudying other leaders can help give us insights and lessons that influence our own. From another great historic read, Episode 17 looks at the life of the legendary Theodore Roosevelt, taken from Edmund Morris’s…
This is a guest post by Missy Bush. Missy is Director of Curriculum & Federal Programs at Skiatook Public Schools, a veteran teacher, school leader, and strong believer in collaboration. An active presenter, trainer, and professional development consultant, she is…
: Play in new window | DownloadDo you ever think about areas in work or life where you wish you had more insight? In episode 16, we talk about learning to lean on the expertise of others. Here are four…
Advocacy is one of those principal responsibilities that can be both encouraging and discouraging at the same time. On the one hand, principals resist advocacy because we want to focus on events in school. On the other hand, when you…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn episode 15, I share leadership lessons from a championship team. In this case, the team is three men and horse found in Laura Hillenbrand’s classic biography, Seabiscuit. The lessons from this amazing book…
When I was a kid, sometimes I would wake up early, pack a small shoulder satchel with a snack, water bottle, and pocketknife, and head off into the woods for the day. One of my favorite hiking places was the…
: Play in new window | DownloadDo you ever feel overwhelmed by your to-do’s? Sometimes you hit seasons where your work can be more stressful than at others. As I’ve hit these seasons at different points in my leadership, I’ve…
This week is Spring Break. Unseasonably warm days have pushed green into tree boughs, and Bradford pears have blossomed white. Asparagus shoots are sprouting in our raised beds, and fescue already needs a first mowing. It really seems like winter’s…
The Apollo 13 mission is one of my favorite stories of endurance. On April 11, 1970 when Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise set off for their mission to the moon at speeds equivalent to 20,000 mph, they had…
: Play in new window | DownloadIf you view school discipline simply as punishment, you’ll be limited in your effectiveness. If you view it as a way to measure and redirect student behavior, then you may experience more meaningful results.…
Last week I flew to the NASSP annual conference in Orlando with connecting flights in Dallas. As I boarded my flight home, my mind was filled with new ideas about school, and I began comparing the process of flying to…
: Play in new window | DownloadBecause one good deed is worth more than a thousand good intentions, you can never overestimate the power of showing others they are appreciated. In episode 11, learn seven simple ways to show appreciation…
The other day I was talking to our high school choir teacher, when she told me about a fascinating brain study involving music. MIT neuroscientists have discovered that music triggers an auditory cortex of the brain that doesn’t appear to…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn episode 10 of Principal Matters Podcast, we dive into some of the practical ways to make school leadership more effective. Dealing with difficult people is often one of the hardest and most frequent…
In Chapter 4 of In Praise of American Educators: And How They Can Become Even Better, DuFour outlines strategies that actually work for high-performing countries. He then explains why those strategies make more sense than the false assumptions embraced by…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn episode 9 of Principal Matters Podcast, we jump into the “nuts and bolts” of school leadership by talking about how to manage requests. School leaders can easily be overwhelmed with the number of…
One of the strengths I appreciate in my team members is their ability to voice concerns or raise red flags when something important is affecting our students. I am so thankful for helpful feedback. Of course, there is a big…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn episode 8 of Principal Matters Podcast, I continue a conversation on the importance of understanding your motivations for why you lead. Based on an original blog post, 3 Tips for Making Each Day…
Talk to almost any politician about education, and you will often hear suggestions for improvement that include words like accountability, portability or choice. Very few suggest adequately funding schools or implementing measures that can really produce results. In Chapter 3…
: Play in new window | DownloadYour deepest motivations determine whether you will lead effectively or not. In this podcast episode, I explore how fear and pride are both counterproductive motivations for school leadership. So what is a healthier motivation?…
As educators in my own state of Oklahoma continue to face pending cuts to school funding, and as advocates of public education attempt to remind their neighbors that our schools are worth the investment, it is a good time to…
: Play in new window | DownloadSchool leadership is not for the weak-kneed or thin-skinned. But no matter how long you are in leadership, it is still easy to feel overwhelmed. In this podcast episode, I share some of the…
There are many things I love about the state of Oklahoma: the open sky, painted sunsets, small towns, and grass prairies. There’s such unique beauty in the art deco of Tulsa’s downtown, the brilliant sands of the Great Salt Plains,…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn Episode 5 of Principal Matters Podcast, I share “Caution Lights For Your Leadership Journey.” Learn lessons from my earliest years in school leadership and how burning out almost led me to abandoning the…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn Episode 4 of Principal Matters Podcast, I share some of my own background growing up in rural West Tennessee. Learn how your own story can inform and influence your leadership today, and how…
During Christmas break, my brother Jesse, and I took a long walk behind our parents’ house. He showed me places where they had cleared fields and brush–adding more pasture to the acres where the cattle graze. As we made our…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn this podcast episode, I share some helpful research on how business strategy is more profitable when you understand the meaning in your product. How does this relate to education? And how can school…
: Play in new window | DownloadIn the 2nd episode of Principal Matters Podcast, I share an inspiring story from a world-record swimmer and discuss the essential elements leaders need for serving others. Then I run through a typical day…
: Play in new window | DownloadI recorded this first episode at the beginning of school so that I could remember that important steps to take all-year-long for a successful school year. I describe two separate scenarios for students during…
When I was a boy, my father rigged up a large water barrel to use as a solar-heated hot water source. He wasn’t environmentally friendly. We just lived a simple life in the backwoods of West Tennessee. Until we had…
A couple of weeks ago, I was standing in the high school commons when one of our military recruiters had set up a table to hand out items to interested students. For years I’ve watched recruiters talk to kids who…
Having just enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday, I came across a number of helpful resources that still have me thinking about gratitude. One is from an interesting NPR story, another from a motivational speaker, and the third from an inspiring sermon.…
Over the weekend, I was having lunch with a friend who works in petroleum engineering. We talked about the kind of research and data that he uses to determine which sites are best for drilling or exploration. Investors are especially…