Tag school leadership

7 Tips For Dealing With Challenging Students

A few years ago, I was talking to a teacher about a student she had volunteered to mentor. The young lady had had a difficult past, and the teacher had confided in me that some of their meetings had been…

5 Spring Break Reminders

When my eight-year-old son Jack and I went camping this past weekend, we enjoyed crisp mornings, yummy food, good hikes, warm fires, and great company. But as we finished supper Saturday night, we felt the first raindrops. Jack sidled up…

And All That Without A Gun

I was talking to an assistant principal friend from a neighboring district who was telling me some funny stories from her middle school experience. She said her own mom and dad like to ask her to tell stories from school.…

6 Quick Leadership Takeaways From A Flight Through The Fog

Two weeks ago I attended the NASSP Ignite Conference in Dallas, Texas. On my flight home, the pilot informed us that we would encounter heavy fog at the Tulsa airport. As we began descending, we were shrouded in it. I…

5 Ways to Cultivate a Culture of Acceptance

The other day, I sat in a conversation with a student and a DHS worker who had come to take her into custody. She was no longer able to stay at her host home and would be moving back to…

5 Ways To Respond To Resistance

One of my favorite college education professors would often start class with a provoking question. As we would grapple with how to answer and/or support our positions, he would stand there with his large hands lifted in the air, his…

10 Tidbits From My First Year of Blogging

This month marks the end of my freshman year of blogging about school leadership. When I began, my goal was to create content for others in my field but in a way that was accessible to anyone. Specifically, I wanted…

7 Mid-School Year Reminders on Finishing Strong

Recently, I was inspired by the story of Diana Nyad, who made it a personal goal to swim from Cuba to Florida and did so at the age of 64. Her 100-mile feat came with many unsuccessful previous attempts, the…

Interview with Steven Parker

The following is a Q & A between Steven Parker and me. Steven Parker is the principal of Cedar Lee Middle School in Bealton, Virginia. He was also named the 2013 Virginia Middle School Principal of the Year. My goal…

7 Hats Principals Must Be Prepared To Wear

Recently, I was asked to speak to a group of teachers who are interested in becoming school principals. My task was to summarize some of the principal’s roles and responsibilities. If you are a principal, I am sure you could…

Interview with Doug Stafford

The following is a Q & A between Doug Stafford and me. Doug Stafford is principal of Emerson Middle School in Enid, Oklahoma. He was named 2013 Oklahoma Middle School Principal of the Year. My goal in posting interviews with…

10 Ways to Communicate About Your School

Recently, on a Twitter feed, I saw the quote: Communication is 100% of what a principal does. Although this may seem like an exaggeration, I believe it is true of almost all educators, especially school leaders. This past weekend, I…

Staying Focused During Difficult Times

The other day, I had someone tell me, “I would never want your job.” On the one hand, that may be true. Sometimes the negatives can be overwhelming. When it comes to the part of my job involving student discipline,…

Purpose Motivated Leadership

Recently, I was listening to an EntreLeadership Podcast interview of Lisa Earle McLeod discussing her book Selling With Noble Purpose. The premise of the conversation was that in corporations, the sales reps who make up the top 2% of highest…