There’s an important reason school leaders should be unapologetic about shaking things up, according to NASSP Digital Principal Brian McCann. “If we’re not going to be risk-takers, how can we expect our students to be?” McCann asked during a session at the 2021 National Principals Conference.
Category: Digital Expert of the Week
‘No Apologies’: 5 Examples of Disruptive Leadership
Being Accessible as a School Leader
I had an impromptu meeting one recent morning that was just what I needed. Around 7:50 a.m., I received a call from our receptionist to let me know a young man needed to see me. I quickly responded and asked her to send him to my office.
Leave the Seed, Keep the Flesh: Reflections From Principalship and Motherhood
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few,” says the Zen master Shunryu Suzuki. We thought we had it all figured out, like avocado toast. Pre-pandemic, we added pumpkin seeds and feta and Mike’s hot honey and slathered it on Mestemacher rye bread. We made guacamole and avocado […]
What Have We Learned?
We thought spring of 2020 was going to be our return to normalcy. We spent the fall and winter of the 2019–20 school year in complete crisis. Our school was supposed to be moving into a renovated co-located school building in fall of 2019, and when that project went into turmoil, so did our school. We […]
4 Ways All Principals Should Be Leading Digitally
The past year has forced all principals into technology, but true innovative principals are trailblazers who lead the way without the push of the pandemic. These leaders understand that technology can empower students to solve today’s complex problems and to engage with learning in a way that inspires progress and growth. It’s principals like this […]
Access and Accommodations: Reimagining Places and Spaces for Students and Staff
Imagine, as an educational leader, that you could create your own school from the ground up. Reimagine space to create places of learning, accepting, and understanding. Form environments that are driven by stakeholder needs and wants. In 2009, one person had a vision for a new, state-of-the-art comprehensive K–12 nontraditional school. The vision became embraced […]
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?
Creativity Labs: Empowering Students Through Problem-Solving and Agency
As school leaders, we set a vision for our school and have a philosophy for learning that guides our leadership. Sometimes our visions grow, change, and merge into new ones; sometimes they are rooted in long-held beliefs. Sometimes our master plans blast off quickly, and sometimes they require a meticulous process that grinds along a […]
Overcoming Engagement Hurdles With Remote Learners
In order to empower people on some level, you first need to engage them. It is nearly impossible to create a culture of learning if there are elements of boredom, inactivity, and lack of relevance. This is a lesson I learned most recently as a presenter and workshop facilitator. Early on, I used more traditional strategies […]
Patience and Principal Leadership
Two lions, one young and one old, are peering down over the pride at some antelope. The younger, more inexperienced lion shifts from side to side, eager to pounce on the prey for a meal. She leans over to the grizzled veteran lion and eagerly implores, “Let’s run down this hill and eat those antelope!” The wise […]