I want to start by saying that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s because the only gifts we are expected to give are the ones that matter most…our presence, our attention, and our gratitude. And as we head into the week, I’ve been thinking a lot about where we choose to shine our “flashlight,” where …
Before I stepped into a formal leadership role and even before my career in education began as a teacher, I thought a leader's role was to be a manager. I believed their work was about organization, structure, and oversight. It wasn’t until I encountered leaders who inspired me to become the best version of myself …
Every day in schools, our relationships are built one conversation at a time. You know these moments well: the hallway hellos, the quick “Do you have a minute?” at the door, the whispered check-in with a student after class, the after-school email to a parent you want to reassure. When you look closely, these aren’t …
Continue reading The Space Between What We Say and What We Do
I’ll never forget what learning looked like when I stepped out of the walls of my own classroom, into new learning spaces, and into various leadership roles. It quickly became clear that this was a unique opportunity to cross-pollinate ideas, share the magic happening inside classrooms with others, and witness how curiosity, creativity, and connection …
This week, as I sat in meetings and one-on-one conversations, I noticed something. There were moments where it felt like educators and leaders didn’t need another initiative or plan. They needed space…space to talk, to process, and to be heard. In my book The Leader Inside, I share that “the people who cross your path …
One of the most unsettling thoughts I continue to have as a leader is that I might drift too far from the classroom, too far from what’s real, what’s possible, and what’s happening in the moments that matter most. Sure, I can do my classroom visits and walk-throughs, and I do, intentionally. I can conduct …
The night before work, I have a habit of looking at my calendar to mentally prepare for the day ahead. I noticed that a regularly scheduled meeting had been removed. I looked again… and then texted my team to confirm it was correct. That canceled meeting felt like an open door, an unexpected invitation to …
Continue reading Canceled Meetings AND Serendipitous Moments
Note to readers: I often write about leading with a coaching mindset. This post focuses on one part of the observation process, the pre-observation. Each part of the process matters, but here I’m honing in on how the pre-observation conversation can set the stage for growth, reflection, and connection as I mentor a new administrator …
“There is just not enough time in the day!” Sound familiar? Educators are always searching for ways to make the most of their instructional minutes. With the demands of various priorities, teaching multiple subjects, skills, and competencies along with packed schedules, the most effective approach is often integration...but, how can educators actually weave literacy into …
As I write this post after what felt like a long and busy week, I had many ideas. I thought about giving you another instructional strategy or another protocol to use with leaders and educators. But this time, I want to focus on something more essential to the work we do as leaders—and something we …
Empower. Collaborate. Connect. 