Shifting back to (or continuing in) distance learning during the 2020–21 school year provided opportunities to continue to look at how we can build relationships with students, even with only seeing them on a computer screen. Instead of focusing on what students are not doing, taking time to dig deeper and ask others what is working […]
Category: Building Culture
Leveling Up: Ways to Increase Remote Student Engagement
Letter to a Discouraged Student
You’re discouraged. I know you are. Your heart sank when you saw the grades. But those letter grades don’t define you. Last spring didn’t go like it was supposed to go. You missed out on activities. You missed seeing your friends at school every day. And this year isn’t normal either. It’s uncomfortable to wear a mask at […]
Taking Care of Yourself and Your Staff
Educators rarely leave the profession because they don’t love teaching. As a leader, that was one of my lightbulb moments. They leave because they don’t feel loved, they don’t feel balanced, and everything becomes too much. These are feelings every educator can relate to, and these are the feelings that I have been trying to […]
Long Live Cheese! Lessons on Inclusivity From the Fishbowl
Just about two weeks ago, our very large family grew just a little larger with the addition of our youngest family member, a betta fish named Cheese. Who knew this tiny addition had much to teach our family and my school?
Sharing Your Highlight Reel: Ways to Share Your School’s Story—and Your Own
Have you ever found yourself scrolling through Twitter and getting the feeling that you aren’t doing enough? Do you ask yourself how others find time to do what they do? Having an online professional learning network (PLN) is extremely important and beneficial; however, if I am being honest, I have found myself comparing where I […]
The Power of Acknowledgement: Supporting Social and Emotional Needs to Build Culture
In times of crisis and challenge, we are told to be optimistic and keep our heads up. We see memes of positive messaging coming across our social media streams and words like, “Do the human work and the rest will take care of itself.” As people who have chosen the profession of education and as […]
Lead Like a Conductor: Lessons Learned as a Middle Level Band Director
Beginning band was an exciting time for my middle level students. For many, it was the first time receiving musical instruction, playing an instrument, reading music, and working collaboratively to create art. This experience led students through a journey of learning, challenges, excitement, frustration, determination, and euphoria. A conductor depends upon those they lead—if they […]
Control+Alt+Delete: Rebooting Our Minds During Remote Learning
School as we knew it has changed, and we are sailing in a different direction. We once worried about students being late for classes and missing assignments, but now our concerns involve students being quarantined and missing instruction with a cloud of COVID-19 fear hovering over their heads. Things are different, there is no doubt […]
Creating a High-Energy Culture of Innovation
If you’ve ever seen the movie Remember the Titans, you may know this quote: “Attitude reflects leadership.” As a school principal for over a decade, this quote is one I choose to keep close to my heart, embedded in my deep belief of servant leadership. I know the way I choose to lead will make or […]
What Principals Can Learn From ‘Cobra Kai’
The coronavirus pandemic has taught us all a lot, including a greater appreciation for the little things, like Netflix. With this new appreciation, I came across a TV series I may have skipped over pre-COVID: “Cobra Kai.” It might sound vaguely familiar to any of us old enough to remember the iconic 1984 movie “Karate […]