PMP:041 What Makes a Productive Team?
: Play in new window | DownloadWhen I was boy, my dad bought a long, green Pontiac station wagon. Long before the creation of the mini-van, it was the car of choice for a large family. We spent countless of…
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PMP:040 How Do You Positively Respond to Apathy?
: Play in new window | DownloadLast week when I was hosting a webinar for school leaders, an overwhelming number of responses were made about the challenges of overcoming apathy. How does a leader initiate positive changes when others resist,…
Becoming Better: How You Influence Growth
: Play in new window | DownloadLast weekend I traveled with my son, Jack, and his Cub Scout pack to a joint campout with an older Boy Scout troop. It was a perfect October weekend: 70’s with sun and breeze;…
PMP:038 Celebrating Good Deeds with a Class Cup
: Play in new window | DownloadI know a lot of schools have creative ways to celebrate the positive behaviors they want students showing on a daily basis. This school year, our student council and their sponsor, Ms. Franklin, launched…
PMP:037 Are You Growing? Learning to Celebrate the Small Wins
: Play in new window | DownloadLast week I left school early so that I could watch our cross-country teams run at a local race. It was one of those days where the sun and clouds kept alternating in the…
PMP:035 Are You Growing? 5 Questions to Ask Yourself
: Play in new window | DownloadI remember when my daughter began taking clarinet lessons from a private tutor in junior high. When I picked her up from her first session, she said, “I have been playing for three years,…
Are We Committing Educational Malpractice?
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…
PMP: Encore 03 Purpose-Driven Leadership
: Play in new window | DownloadIn this encore episode of Principal Matters Podcast, I talk about the reason behind why some people find meaning in their work. Research confirms that when you understand the meaning behind your work, you…
PMP: Encore 02 Courage, Teamwork, and Purpose
: 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…
PMP: Encore 01 Three C’s For a Great School Year
: 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…
Confronting the Brutal Facts
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…
Guest Post: Michael Allison on Advocacy
This is a guest post by Michael Allison, President of the National Association of Secondary Principals. Michael is also principal of Hopewell High School, Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. On June 20-22, 2016, NASSP hosted an advocacy conference for state leaders to discuss…
PMP:027 10 Tips for Education Interviews
: Play in new window | DownloadWhether you are conducting an interview or being interviewed, I have found some common expectations anyone should have when walking into an education interview. This week’s podcast covers 10 tips anyone can use when…
Cultivating a Culture of Growth
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…
PMP:025 8 Tips for Helping Your School Manage Grief
: Play in new window | DownloadOne of the most difficult parts of school leadership is knowing how to manage the loss of a student. As a high school teacher and administrator, I have experienced this many times over the…
5 Steps for Closing-Out School (And Preparing for Your Next Launch)
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…
5 Steps for using YouTube in Hiring
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…
PMP:023 Five Simple Ways to Support Others
: 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…
PMP:022 Lessons in Leadership from a Cross-Walk Guard
: 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…
What Do You Do With All the Mandates?
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…
Teacher Appreciation Week: 5 Steps for Involving Your Community
A few days ago, one of our community business owners came by with a $50 restaurant gift certificate he wanted to donate for our Teacher Appreciation Week. When we thanked him for the gift, he said, “With the kind of…
Making the Courageous Choice
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…
PMP:019 Key Responsibility Areas for Your School Team
: 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…
Countdown End-of-School Year
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…
PMP:018 First Days of School Questions that Work All Year Long
: 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…
Dear Educators, We Still Need You!
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…
PMP:017 Leadership Lessons from the Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
: 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…
10 Steps to Host Your Own Edcamp
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…
PMP016: Learning from the Expertise of Others
: 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…
5 Tips for Advocacy with Students
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…
Flooded Creeks and Life Lessons
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…
PMP:014 Five Tips for Maintaining Sanity During Stressful Times
: 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…
Something a Little Personal
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…
Celebrating Collaboration and the Ability to Fly
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…
PMP:011 Tips for Showing Appreciation for Teachers
: 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…
Triggering the Brain with Wonder
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…
PMP:010 Tips for Dealing with Difficult People
: 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…
PMP:09 Better Managing Requests
: 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…
A Complaint Free World: 5 Ways to Respond
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…
PMP:06 Focusing on the Positives
: 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…
Facing the Unsustainable: 5 Ways to Respond
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,…
PMP:05 Caution Lights for School Leaders
: 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…
PMP:04 How Your Story Influences Others
: 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…
3 Secrets for Maximizing Moments this New Year
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…
PMP:03 Purpose-Driven Leadership
: 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…
PMP:02 One Day In The Life of a Principal
: 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…
Principal Matters: The School Leader’s Podcast, Episode 1
: 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…
Great Lessons from Jimmy Casas on Hiring For Excellence
Last week I attended a great webinar presentation provided by NASSP with guest presenter, Jimmy Casas, on Hiring For Excellence. Jimmy is the current principal of Bettendorf High School in Bettendorf, Iowa. He was named the 2012 Iowa Secondary Principal…
10 Easy Literacy Strategies For Engaging Students
This summer some of our teachers attended Literacy Strategy as part of our before school professional development. As a follow-up, we invited a Literacy specialist, Shannon Gaines, to spend a day with our teachers observing and providing feedback. We scheduled…
4 Easy Steps For Making a Faculty Meeting Video
October is busy month for our school. In addition to regular classes, softball and volleyball regionals as well as football games, we just hosted after-school parent conferences. As I was also working on the state accreditation report, I realized a…
A Moment For Gratitude
Saturday I was up early to drive my fourteen-year-old daughter to band practice at the school. On our way, the pink fingers of clouds were stretching hellos from the eastern horizon, misty clouds were rising from the fields and ponds,…
The Power of Parent Support
When I was student teaching, I had the idealistic view that teaching alone was the most powerful way to influence the success of students. Although research shows that teacher expectations significantly affect the success of students in a classroom setting,…