We all have stories we tell about ourselves that form a narrative about who we are and how we show up in our lives. When that story is painful, yet you continue to tell it without examining or questioning it, your self-identity feels like an anchor that sinks you with no way out. You may exhibit certain characteristics or personality traits, but the great news is that you get to choose your identity out of thin air. How you think about yourself is changeable, and the stories you tell about your self-identity will either hold you back or propel you forward. Your job as a school leader requires ..read more

Over the last few months, I’ve had several clients face situations at their schools that have required them to bring in legal counsel or support. There are many ways legal issues can manifest, whether that be HR, parent, student, or special education law issues, and it can feel all-consuming, especially if you’re new to school leadership. As a coach, I help site and district leaders build the skills necessary to lead their schools and navigate the mental and emotional challenges that come with the job. I am not here to offer legal advice; however, I can speak to the experience of facing legal ..read more

I coach school leaders all day long on how hard this job is. And from personal experience, I can relate. School leadership is hard. However, as I listen to my principals share the difficulties they’re facing in their day-to-day, I had a revelation about the kind of hard they’re experiencing, and I’m sharing it with you on this episode. Most of us are hooked into the belief that anything that requires more effort than we think we can expend is hard. But have you ever stopped to consider what your definition of hard means? What is it about school leadership that’s hard for you? And how can we m ..read more

Antiracism is a topic I don’t personally speak on because it’s not my area of expertise as a white educator. However, it is something I feel extremely passionate about. I believe antiracism is a daily mindset practice that is always growing and evolving with us. To guide us through what it means to lead an antiracist school, this week, I’m speaking to Dr. Daman Harris. Daman Harris, Ph.D., is a trailblazing expert in educator retention and antiracist leadership. Dr. Harris is an experienced teacher, coach, principal, district administrator, adjunct professor, speaker, writer, and consultant ..read more

Fall is going to be here before we know it, which means you’re probably getting ready to hire your next round of staff members. If you are currently preparing to hire and onboard new teachers to your school, I’ve got some words of wisdom for you this week that I implore you to consider. I’ve explored the HR side of hiring, attracting, and retaining your ideal teachers to your school in previous episodes of the podcast. However, I’m taking a different approach this week. On this episode, I’m inviting you to think about the hiring journey from the perspective of the teacher you might potentiall ..read more

I’ve been coaching many school leaders just like you on the fatigue, dreariness, and lack of motivation they have been experiencing recently. The winter dip is real, and most of you are in testing season and conducting teacher observations right now, looking ahead to the end of the school year when you can finally take a breather. Before we reach those warmer, brighter, and longer days, you first need to address your end-of-year planning. Whether you’re someone who loves planning so much that you get caught up in the details or someone who intends to plan but gets overwhelmed by the busyness ..read more

I recently came across a post that was asking for speaker recommendations when it comes to professional development days. The interaction I had on this post made me reflect on how site and district leaders plan for professional development for their schools, and I’m sharing my insights with you this week. I know that many of you are tasked with having to decide on topics or themes and hire speakers or presenters for your school’s professional development days. I also know that for the majority of you, this process feels like another thing on your already full to-do list. Although planning pro ..read more

This week, I’m diving into a powerful but deceptively sneaky thought most school leaders carry around with them every single day, and it’s this: “I want to make the right decision.” Wanting to make the ‘right’ decision is a thought we hold very tightly onto, and it drives our actions in unhelpful ways that you might not see right now. It’s no surprise that believing you have to make the ‘right’ decision is leaving you frozen. So if you find yourself spinning in indecision, procrastinating, and worrying about whether or not you’re making the right decision, this episode is for you. Join me o ..read more

We often overlook the valuable contributions of substitute teachers, who serve as essential members of our staff. As principals, we are so busy running around that we may not emphasize the importance of nurturing and cultivating our substitute teachers enough. While everyone assumes substitutes are being looked after, they don’t receive the acknowledgment and support they deserve. To discuss the importance of nurturing and cultivating our substitutes, I am excited to welcome Megan Conklin to the show. Megan received her master’s in teaching in 2001 and has been working as a teacher, an instr ..read more

What is your experience of district walkthroughs as a site leader? Whether you’ve had the more formal district walkthrough experience with clipboards and documents offering feedback, or you’ve experienced more casual interactions where it’s up to you to interpret and decipher the feedback, they often get our teachers extremely worked up. The experience I’m hearing from my clients all over the country is that their teachers stress, worry, and freak out about district walkthroughs. There are several reasons most teachers dread this experience, which I’m diving into on this episode. However, as ..read more