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…
Principal Matters
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Read MoreFlooded Creeks and Life Lessons
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,…
3 Lessons In Managing Under Pressure
When I was in high school and college, my brothers and I worked part-time diving for mussel shells in the Kentucky Lake area. We would sell them by the pound at local markets, and those shells would in turn be…
10 Digital Tools For Enhancing Your Communication
A few weeks ago, I received an email from a fellow administrator in Sydney, Australia, asking for permission to re-publish a recent blog post for their executive newsletter. Although he and I are literally sitting on opposite sides of the…
Planning Ahead For What Matters: 7 Tips For Time Management
One day I was standing outside my classroom during a passing period when I suddenly had one of those Jedi-moments that teachers have–when I could tell something was about to happen. I could just feel a change in the hallway…
Don’t Underestimate Your Influence
I grew up in West Tennessee where my parents raised the six of us on a small farm in the middle of nowhere. Gravel roads, winding creeks, swampy bottoms, large fields, and rambling woods were my playgrounds. We were so…
10 Steps For Publishing Weekly Student Newsletters
For the past two school years, I have put together a collection of updates, photos, highlights, and announcements that I email to parents in a weekly newsletter. As positive as this outreach has been, this year I decided to reach…
3 C’s For Navigating A New School Year
This summer I had the privilege of traveling to Washington, D.C. with my superintendent. At our district’s opening meeting with staff, he told a story about one morning when we decided to paddle a kayak on the Potomac near Roosevelt…
Interview with Deborah Gist
The following is an interview between Deborah Gist and me. Deborah A. Gist is the Superintendent of Tulsa Public Schools. Previously, she was Rhode Island Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. Before coming to Rhode Island, Deborah served as the…
The Importance of Public Relations: 4 Tips
I know a lot of people who love Chick-fil-A because of the quality of their food and service. If you’ve eaten there, you know how friendly they are to customers, you’ve seen the fresh flowers on the tables, and you…
Need Some Inspiration?
: Play in new window | DownloadAs we wrap up the last days of our school year, it helps me to keep things in perspective so I wanted to share the following video clip of one of my favorite educators,…
Thank You For Being Givers
Yesterday I was privileged to hear one our senior boys do a presentation at a neighboring school. Jesse Haynes is a recently published author of young adult fiction. He was talking to groups of middle school students about his experience…
Starting Next School Year Strong
We’re a month away from the end of school (sorry friends not in North America). When I’m asked if I am excited for the end of the school year, I usually say, “Yes!” But the truth is that I don’t…
Principal Matters–The Book!
It’s finally here! I am thrilled to share this collection of insights, motivation, and practical ideas for school leaders. Principal Matters is the advice I would share with anyone who wants to grow as a school leader. School leaders are…
The Power of “Entanglement”: Implications For School Leaders
Recently I was listening to a January 29, 2015 episode of Invisibilia, a podcast about the invisible forces that affect us without us being aware. Specifically, the reporters narrating this episode were talking about a phenomenon known as “entanglement.” They…
30 Questions From Principal Interviews (Plus More)
A few weeks ago, some fellow administrators and I presented to an awesome group of teachers who are preparing to become admins. A great follow-up question was: “What kinds of questions can I expect in an interview for assistant principal…
10 Tips For Interviewing For An Education Opening
As hard as it is to work through the hiring process, nothing is more important to the success of school than finding quality educators. And if you are looking for a new position, it is essential to know how to…
Why Do You Lead? 3 Responses To Consider
A few nights ago as I let the dog out one last time, I noticed an eery glow in the night sky. A blanket of fresh snow was covering our neighborhood, and the all-encompassing-white was casting a hazy light on…
Jazzing Up Announcements: 5 Steps To Publishing a Powtoon
: Play in new window | DownloadOur school has a large screen in the commons area where we keep a slideshow going of our latest school announcements. I know some great programs exist for creating cool slides, but I have…
Research Supports Positive Engagement: 5 Ways To Improve Yours
When I was teacher, I would often hear my students talk about their other instructors. It didn’t take long to discover who were the superstars. They were the ones whose lessons were both rigorous and engaging–the ones who greeted students…
Making Good Memories–For Yourself And Others
Many of my childhood Christmas memories include sharing big dinners at Grandma’s, story-telling with family members, playing on the frozen pond with siblings and cousins, or just singing carols together. In reality, not everyone has nostalgic memories this time of…
Learning To Recognize The Wonderful
Our high school choir students gave us a beautiful Christmas present this past week when they performed the musical It’s A Wonderful Life. I’ve loved the movie version since I was kid, and seeing the story put to music as…
4 Lessons Learned From Daring Greatly
Last weekend, our high school football team came home with a silver instead of gold trophy from their state championship contest. Their experience reminded me of this quote: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points…
Going For Gold: An Essential Ingredient
Our high school football team is headed for the state championship game this coming weekend. Two years ago when these senior players were sophomores, their team won no games. It was a painful experience for everyone. But the coaches and…
A Reason To Be Thankful
Last Friday night, our school hosted a second-round football playoff game. Just days before, the opposing team’s community of Guthrie, Oklahoma had suffered a devastating fire at an apartment complex that destroyed the homes of several students and resulted in…
What Can We Accomplish Together?
The European Space Agency’s historical comet landing of the space craft Rosetta last week has my head spinning. First of all, imagine organizing a team of scientists and space engineers who design and launch a space craft with the goal…
The Hard Realities of School
Last weekend I attended the memorial service for a former student. His family members and friends took turns sharing how he had touched their lives with his kindness, curiosity, and creativity. It was an outside gathering, and the cold November…
The Other Side Of The Moon: 3 Tips For Handling Misunderstanding
When I was a boy, I loved to lay on the front porch at night. With no streetlights or neighbors, our house was enveloped in darkness, surrounded by swampy creeks and woods, accompanied by the sound of crickets and the…
Let’s Celebrate Our Profession
Across our state, schools have seen shortages in certified teaching applicants. The causes for this dilemma are numerous, but instead of focusing on these challenges, I’d like to celebrate some of the young men and women who have answered the…
Learning From Challenges
I remember my first year of teaching when I walked into a boy’s bathroom that was reeking of smoke. A couple of boys were standing at the urinals when one of them dropped a lit cigarette at his feet. I…
Building Positive School Culture: 20 Ideas From Principals
School or work environments are like home environments–it doesn’t take long to figure out if you are in a happy, productive place or not. Last week I was in Oklahoma City for a meeting with OASSP, the Oklahoma Association of…
Are You Growing? 5 Questions To Ask Yourself
Recently, my junior high daughter began taking clarinet lessons from a private tutor. When I picked her up from her first session, she said, “I have been playing for three years, but I learned today that I wasn’t putting the…