Can you relate to the feeling of wanting to be in two places at once? The first few weeks of school can feel like a whirlwind. There is the anticipation of a new year, the excitement of seeing colleagues and students, and the pressure of trying to navigate personal and professional responsibilities well. As a …
This week, I had the privilege of spending a lot of time with our newest teachers. It is always one of my favorite weeks of the school year. There is something about welcoming educators at the beginning of their journey that always brings me back to the people who helped shape mine. My appreciation for …
Recently, I have been in spaces where people have asked me about my weekly writing and how I maintain a blog while juggling so many other responsibilities. The answer is actually pretty simple. Learning is important to me.Growing is important to me.Thinking is important to me.Writing to think through ideas is important to me. Going …
Continue reading What Kind of Thinking Are We Making Room For?
If you have come to this space to read my writing before, you may already know that my writing process is shaped by the ideas I encounter in books and articles, hear in podcasts, and gather through interactions across my personal and professional life. I have developed a habit of writing down the quotes that …
Continue reading Five Quotes I Keep Returning To and What They Can Mean for Education
I have a routine…Every morning, I read a few pages from a book to spark my thinking and frame my day. Recently, I returned to The Pivot Year by Brianna Wiest and paused at this line: “Comfort becomes a vice when what’s familiar becomes the only thing that feels possible.” As a district leader planning …
This week, I read my friend Meghan Lawson’s blog, “A Note About First Days.” Her reflection on the importance of intentionally designing a meaningful first day and her mention of The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath reminded me of how much that book has influenced the way I think about learning, …
Have you ever felt like your days are moving from one item to the next? Meeting to meeting. Task to task. Conversation to conversation. I am going to assume that no matter what field you are in, this happens. There are times when I feel fully present, savoring the moments and appreciating what is unfolding …
What do you want your department and faculty meetings to feel like? Have you ever sat in a meeting that felt like a list of updates? Are those updates important? Yes. And sometimes there is no choice but to deliver information in that format. But it’s not always as impactful long term. I’ve never fully …
What anchors your learning? If you read my writing regularly, you may notice that I appreciate books, podcasts, articles, videos, and other mediums to learn, expand, and grow my thinking. You may also notice that I believe deeply in the power of mentorship. In my book, The Leader Inside, I write about mentorship as the …
I come to this space every week to reflect on my learning. There are times I wonder what I will write about. Some weeks feel clearer than others, and some take a little more time to unfold. I’ve come to realize that it often has less to do with what is around me and more …
Empower. Collaborate. Connect. 