Principal Matters: The School Leader's Podcast with William D. Parker

This week I’m taking a break from posting so that I can enjoy more time with family during Spring Break. I hope you are doing the same if you are on break this time of year. I’d also love to hear updates from listeners, so please send me an email at will@williamdparker.com or find me on Twitter via my handle @williamdp and share updates on your school or life! In the meantime, please enjoy posts from the archives of Principal Matters: The School Leader’s Podcast! The post PMP: Spring Break Update 2022 appeared first on Principal Matters.

How do you transform school culture so that you keep high quality teachers? Today’s guest include three education leaders: Dr. Salome Thomas-EL, Dr. TJ Vari and Dr. Joseph Jones. These men are school and district leaders in Delaware, and have keynoted and provided professional development at many state and national conferences.  Their team has been honored with providing ​state-wide training for ​new assistant principals and principals ​through the Deleware Dept. of Education. They have authored or co-authored 6 books on leadership, feedback for teachers and leaders, influence, school culture, equity, recruiting and retaining teachers, and so much more.  Their newest book is Retention for a Change: Motivate, Inspire, and Energize Your School Culture. Dr. Salome Thomas-EL, also known as Principal EL, is a former long-time lead in Philadelphia public schools and is currently principal of a two-time National Chess Champion K-8 Charter School.  Dr. Joseph Jones is a former H.S. Principal and currently the Superintendent of a nationally recognized CTE school district in Deleware. Dr. T.J. Vari is a former Middle School award-winning principal and currently Assistant Superintendent of the fastet growing school district in Deleware. In this episode, the authors discuss: What compelled them to write this new book, Retention for a Change.Key ideas education leaders should keep in mind for finding and retaining high quality teachers.Tips and ideas for developing and supporting teachers and staff for the long-term.Suggestions for principals or leaders who also need ideas for encouraging tired teachers or staff in the day-to-day work of school. You can connect with the new book and more resources from these great leaders at http://www.theschoolhouse302.com The post PMP285: Retention for a Change with Principal EL, Dr. TJ Vari and Dr. Joseph Jones appeared first on Principal Matters.

Timothy Alexander is a bestselling writer, award-winning speaker, and life coach who thrives at the intersection of character development, counseling, and mentorship. After a life changing car accident in 2006 left him paralyzed from the neck down, Timothy has embodied a “never give up” spirit that inspires educators to do the impossible in their schools and lives.  Currently, Alexander serves as the character coach for UAB Football and Women’s Basketball. He travels across the country sharing his story of resiliency in an effort to motivate and inspire student athletes to live life to the fullest.  In this week’s episode, Timothy Alexander addresses how painful experiences and adversity breed resilience in students and educators. He also discusses the three questions he uses to develop leadership in others, including asking: Who are you?Why are you here?Who do you do it for? Timothy shares how to stay centered in your leadership so that you continue serving with integrity. In addition, he tells a moving story about how to show compassionate responses to hard questions from students. Finally, he explains why leaders must model what they expect others to deliver. Find out more about Timothy Alexander’s resources or brining him to your school at his website: https://www.inspiredbyta.com or through his work with Growing Leaders at https://growingleaders.com/about/keynote-speakers/timothy-alexander/ The post PMP284: Triumph over Tragedy with Timothy Alexander appeared first on Principal Matters.

Jethro Jones is the founder of Transformative Principal, which provides leadership development, weekly masterminds, and one-on-one coaching for school leaders across the nation and internationally. In 2017, he was recognized as Digital Principal of the Year by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. He has turned his years of experience and learning into books, an award winning podcast, and an annual event for leaders just like you.   He shares his transformative leadership plans and his secret weapon, a mastermind group built specifically for principals so that principals like you can lead your schools to your best year ever.  He is also the author of the new book, How to Be a Transformative Principal, releasing in March 2022. In this episode, Jethro lays out the challenges that principals face with test scores, student behavior, mental-health issues, etc. And he provides a surprising solution for leaders: self-care. With 487 podcast episodes of his own, Jethro relies on feedback from hundreds of leaders to show the attributes of tranformative principals. He talks about the importance of delegating to people, not to tasks. Plus, he describes the domino effect that happens when leaders are committed to growth in the following areas: Self-care SupportStrengths & DelegationVision Observations & Feedback Communication RelationshipsHiringCulture Finally, principals have the opportunity to be a part of a virtual book launch by going to: Jethrojones.com/how2be When you do, you can join other leaders to write responses live and online to add whole new additional chapters to the qualitative feedback Jethro is collecting from principals. The post PMP283: How to Be a Transformative Principal with Jethro Jones appeared first on Principal Matters.

Kyle Palmer is currently Executive Director of Human Resources for the Center School District of South Kansas City, MO. Before this transition, Dr. Palmer spent the previous ten years as principal of nationally recognized Lewis and Clark Elementary in Liberty, MO. Kyle began his career as a 4th grade teacher in Ankeny, Iowa in 2000. In 2013, he was named the Distinguished Principal for the Clay-Platte region of Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals in 2013. Under his leadership, Lewis and Clark Elementary was designated as an “National Model PLC School” by Solution Tree in 2013 and 2015 as well as an “ICLE Model School” in 2015, 2016, and 2017. In his “spare time” Kyle consults with the ICLE (International Center for Leadership in Education), Solution Tree, and as a certified John Maxwell Speaker, Trainer, and Coach. He is the author of the new book, Parentships in a PLC at Work®: Forming and Sustaining School-Home Relationships With Families: https://www.solutiontree.com/parentships-in-a-plc.html Parents and guardians can be a powerful resource for teachers, but it takes skill and confidence to build partnerships, or parentships, and proactively engage in a positive way. Kyle Palmer draws from his experience as both principal of a model PLC school and as a parent to offer practical strategies for including parents or guardians as part of your collaborative culture focused on student learning. Understand the basics of PLCs and parentships.Learn how parentships can integrate into and enhance the PLC process.Create mission and vision statements for parentships in a PLC.Use specific strategies to enhance your parentship and engage effectively with parents.Maintain an effective parentship into the future. Dr. Palmer was a previous guest on PMP141 in February 2019. You can hear that interview here: https://williamdparker.com/2019/02/06/pmp141-how-culture-drives-successful-learning-communities-interview-with-dr-kyle-palmer/ In this week’s episode, Dr. Palmer answers covers several topics: What motivated him to write this new bookWays education leaders embed “parentships” into their own learning communitiesStrategies he has seen work that other leaders could consider implementing Finally, he discusses how politics create an “us versus them” mentality with schools and parents, and Dr. Palmer offers advice for leaders to overcome this divide. Listen-in as he explains how we must seek parent engagement versus parent “enragement” by setting norms with parent advisories, asking for more targeted feedback, assigning leaders to guide parent groups, and leveraging parent expertise to help motivate and guide student exploration. You can connect with Dr. Palmer on Twitter via @DrKylePalmer and pre-order his new book at https://www.solutiontree.com/parentships-in-a-plc.html The post PMP282: Building ‘Parentships’ with Dr. Kyle Palmer appeared first on Principal Matters.

Dr. Tim Elmore is the founder and CEO of Growing Leaders. His work grew out of 20 years of serving alongside Dr. John C. Maxwell. Elmore has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, USA Today, Psychology Today and he’s been featured on CNN’s Headline News and Fox and Friends. Tim has written over 35 books, including Habitudes: Images That Form Leadership Habits and Attitudes. Today we are discussing his recent book, The 8 Paradoxes of Great Leadership: Embracing the Conflicting Demands of Today’s Workplace. Tim Elmore, returns to the Principal Matters podcast after being a guest on PMP134, in November 2018. In this week’s episode, he answers the following questions about his new book: 1. What drove you to write this book?  2. You started your career in leadership over 40 years ago. What is it about today that makes these “paradoxes” relevant? 3. We live in an “either / or”world. Parents, educators and administrators feel they’re caught in the middle of a culture war on masks, vaccines and politics. How does this book address this? 4. Can you highlight a few of the paradoxes that would be relevant for a school administrator? 5. How can educational leaders use the principles in this book to mentor and train their next level leadership? 6. How can Growing Leaders and you partner with school leaders to teach these principles? Listen-in as Dr. Elmore explains why leadership sometimes grows harder, not easier, as we understand its paradoxes. Why? Because leaders are encountering higher levels of exposure, higher levels of emotion, and higher levels of entitlement.  Dr. Elmore explains how uncommon leaders are both confident and humble. He talks about how great leaders “leverage their vision as well as their blind spots.” Every chapter in his book includes a case study as well as a personal study. For instance, Tim discusses why leaders must “read them before we lead them,” and “how leaders must be both visible and invisible,” using Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as an example of this kind of leadership. As well, he explains why leaders must “speak as though you are right but listen as if you may be wrong.”  Take time to listen-in to the entire conversation for great takeaways and inspiration for understanding the complexities and important paradoxes influencing your ability to influence others. Check out his new book at: https://www.amazon.com/Eight-Paradoxes-Great-Leadership-Conflicting/dp/1400228298 Now It’s Your Turn Do you find yourself pushing against the paradoxes of leadership instead of embracing them? How might understanding the competing narratives involved in leadership help you move forward instead of becoming stuck in frustration? Find all of Tim Elmore’s resources at https://growingleaders.com. The post PMP281: Paradoxes of Leadership with Dr. Tim Elmore appeared first on Principal Matters.

Last month I had the privilege of presenting in a virtual event to a group of assistant principals and aspiring school leaders at Pecos Barstow Toyah ISD in Pecos, Texas. As part of a series we have been doing together this school year, I shared a session on the ‘Hat of Communication’ that is so important in school leadership. We explored the question: How can education leaders influence the perspectives others have about their schools? Much of the content comes from ideas also shared in my book, Messaging Matters: How School Leaders Can Inspire Teachers, Motivate Students, and Reach Communities. This book helps you foster stronger culture and improve communication strategies. Listen in to this summary for ideas to… Comprehend the power of messaging and public relations in school.Gain tips for how to best use available technology tools, including online platforms, for messaging purposes.Inspect scenarios and real anecdotes that show communication strategies and messaging tactics in action in schools.Learn how to implement positive communication with parents and students from the start of the school year.Explore special strategies for communicating with challenging students or in difficult school climates. We also shared ideas from a great book by Rick DuFour, In Praise of American Educators: And How They Can Become Even Better. And later in the episode, I share ideas from a short but powerful video by Josh Shipp on the Power of One Caring Adult. As you do the important of work of communicating to students, teachers and communities, remember that showing others a more comprehensive perspective of your school allows them to become better invested in its outcomes. I call this ability ‘showing them the other side of the moon.’ Listen in to this week’s episode for more context, examples and tips for being the chief cheerleader and messenger for your school! The post PMP280: The Power of Your Messaging appeared first on Principal Matters.

Dr. Christopher Jones has been an educator in Massachusetts for 22 years.  He has just finished his 14th year as a building administrator.  True to his “why” of improving the educational experience for as many people as possible, he is currently the Principal of Whitman-Hanson Regional High School in Whitman, Massachusetts.Chris is passionate about continuous improvement and the idea that success is not a destination, but a process.  Chris is a teacher-centered Principal and his beliefs around the importance of a positive work environment, continuous growth, and a healthy family work life integration can be seen in the presentations/workshops he has given at the State and National level and his participation in the Better Leaders Better Schools Mastermind group. He is the host of the podcast SEEtoLead, http://drcsjones.blog, a blogger, active on Twitter, and vlogs on a weekly basis as a way to reflect on his progress, share his story, and get others to think about different perspectives.  His overarching goal is to positively model continuous improvement in all facets of life by being purposeful, acting with integrity, and building character. He is the author of the upcoming book, How Do You S.E.E. Your Staff?, releasing in 2022. In this episode, Chris answers the following questions: What is a “teacher-centered leader” and how/why did you believe this an important distinction?You write about the Cycle of Teacher-Centric Leading. What is that and how might it help other school leaders?Can you share some other practical examples of supporting, engaging, or empowering teachers?Right now leaders are feeling especially overwhelmed. What advice would you give fellow leaders as they continue supporting, engaging and empowering in the days ahead? Chris also shares practical strategies for supporting teaching and student learning, including technology hacks for frequent, informal feedback like Voxer, Screencastify, and Loom; having multiple points of contact, identifying skill and will, helping teachers leverage their stories, and more!  Links Chris mentions: Voxer: Walkie Talkie App for Team Communicationhttps://www.voxer.com Screencastify | Simple Video Creation Softwarehttps://www.screencastify.com Loom: Async Video Messaging for Work | Loomhttps://www.loom.com You can stay connected to Dr. Chris Jones at his website http://drcsjones.blog or via Twitter @drcsjones.  The post PMP279: Support, Empower, Engage with Chris Jones appeared first on Principal Matters.

In a recent article Jen Schwanke published with ASCD, First Engage Teachers: A Principal’s Role in Cultivating Staff Motivation, Jen makes the following assertion: “When principals foster a staff’s collective belief in themselves, their staff will incorporate that positive esteem toward their own motivation and engagement to work with students.”   How does this looks when applied? Listen-in to this week’s episode as Jen explains with examples the following reminders for education leaders: 1) Listen. 2) Remove competition. 3) Present “expectations” with care. 4) Look inward. 5) Build teachers up. As an education leader, you are working hard to support students, teachers and communities. In this important work, your mindset, language and communication play an important role in encouraging teachers in their important work. Listen-in as Jen explains these five simple but powerful reminders. Thank you again for doing what matters! The post PMP278: Encouraging & Motivating Staff with Jen Schwanke appeared first on Principal Matters.

Last week a principal wrote to tell me he was short 25 teachers or staff as he ended his first week back in the new semester. Another principal wrote that he spent his first morning back from Christmas break finding coverage for 9 classes without teachers. Just today in my own community, one of our elementary schools closed for the remainder of the week as the district is missing 15% of its workforce due to outbreaks of COVID. Sadly, just when we thought we were returning to some sense of normalcy this school year, educators are again doing the hard work of rescheduling bus routes, rearranging classroom coverage, or pivoting to online learning. If no one has told you yet, thank you for the hard work you’ve already been doing in just the first few days of 2022. This week, however, I want to pull away from the present for a few minutes and share some perspective from history. My reading goals for 2022 include several historical pieces I have not read before. For instance, this month, I decided to read The Life of Martha Ballard, based on her diary, 1785-1812, by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. I enjoyed listening to it via an Audible version read by Susan Eriksen.  What sparked my interest in the book was recognizing that I have almost exclusively read male authors from the early American periods. Except for a few poems from Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley, and some letters of Abigail Adams, most of the primary documents I’ve read from that time period have been by from men. The story of Martha Ballard as a mid-wife, brought to life by historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, shines a light on past experiences from two unique perspectives. First, Ballard’s diary gives us the account of a early American healer; second, her diary tells that story from the unique perspective of a daughter, mother and grandmother of late 18th century Maine.  Throughout the book, several themes and lessons stand out. Here are seven I’d like to share: 1. Ballard’s unique lens as a woman highlights the life of women, not just men, as central to community life. As a midwife, Martha Ballard had a front row seat into community life, and her diary details the births, deaths, sicknesses and sometimes drama of most of the people in her community in the township of Hallowell on the Kennebec River, which is now a part of Augusta. She lost three of her nine children to a diphtheria epidemic. And her diary includes the common fate of so many other members of her community in a time before vaccinations and still believed in blood letting as a medical remedy. Martha’s stories, however, were also about weddings, church goings, family, gardening, quilting and many other pastimes that brought people together. Unlike other diaries from men during the time period, she includes the names of women in the community, with stories of their part managing homes and livelihoods of their own. 2. Women ‘healers’ had more access and credibility among medical practitioners in colonial Maine than women would even fifty years later. Surprisingly, local physicians included Martha Ballard and other midwives in autopocies and dissections of deseased patients. Just fifty years later, the historian Laurel Tatcher Ulrich, explains this practice was almost exclusively limited to men physicians. Although in early colonial times women were primary in birthing services, that practice became more controlled by men physicians over the next decades as well. Ballard delivered 816 babies and was present for more than 1,000 births in her 27 years of service. It wasn’t until the 1849, 37 years after Martha Ballard’s death that Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman in American history to graduate from medical school. It wasnt’ until the 1870’s, fifty-eight years after Martha Ballard’s death, that it became more common for women to be allowed admission in medical schools. 3. In Ballard’s world, opportunities for livelihood were built on both reliability and community networks. Martha Ballard averaged more than 30 births a year in her practice, and as the community grew so did requests for her presence. At the same time, she was earning daily wages equivalent to what her husband earned as a surveyor. Together, they ran a profitable homestead with children and servants helping them manage family affairs while mother and father worked inside and outside the home. As they aged, however, Martha and her husband Ephraim, began to marry off their children, receive less work, and eventually, Ephraim was arrested for debts. He served time at the town’s debtor’s prison for more than a year. It was a noteworthy part of Martha’s diary that she suffered more during this time. Only after Ephraim’s release from prison were they able to once again establish services in their former occupations – but by this time she was in her late 70’s and he was in his late 80’s.  4. The ‘good ole days’ of colonial America were also ‘bad’ ones, including rape, murder and insurrection. The Ballard diary shows the realities of life for Martha and her neighbors. Although it contains quaint scenes like quilting gatherings and barn raising, it also chronicles horrible misdeeds including the alleged rape of a minister’s wife, the mass murder of six members in a neigbhoring family by a deranged husband and father, and an attempted insurrection from settlers against the town’s authorities. In addition, Martha’s own family suffered difficulties with a son who was often arrested or involved in lawsuits. For as many happy moments that Martha experienced, she seemed to also live through an equal amount of difficulty and community trauma. 5. Just like today, local factions and politics influenced change as well as divided communities. Disagreements over theology split the town’s church into two separate congregations. Years later, the township saw even more division among its religious observers with Congregationalists, Methodists, and Univeralists congregating around separate beliefs. These divisions touched Martha’s life directly as she was friends and midwife to people from all these walks of life. She even served as a witness in court in the accused rape of her minister’s wife. In addition to religious disputes, neighbors often sued one another over property disputes. And as settlers expanded into the territory, violence erupted between neighbors. Bands of settlers began dressing in animal skins, disguising themselves while driving off surveyors, shooting at interlopers and in some cases killing them. Although much of Ballard’s diary includes daily chores, births and items purchased, the history she experienced was not always tranquil or peaceful. 6. Ballard’s story inspired future generations of women in medicine, specifically Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, and future granddaughter of Ballard’s sister. The fact that Ballard’s diary survived is surprising. For years it was handed down within the family. Her grandaughter, Martha Hobart inherited it in 1884, after Martha had completed medical school. Later Clara Barton, Martha’s granddaughter, founded the America Red Cross in 1881. The family donated the diary to the Maine State Library in 1930. It was thirty years later before it was copied and published. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich’s publication in 1991, won a Putlizer Prize for bringing to life the stories almost lost to modern readers. The diaries provide a glimpse into the work and medicinal practices of a pioneer healer. 7. Many ‘great’ people have not been (and will not be) recognized or celebrated in this life, but it does not subtract from the importance of their influence. The story of Martha Ballard is a great reminder that every day ‘normal’ people are serving the needs of others. If she had not left her diary behind, much less would be known about the practices of midwives from the colonial period. More importantly, little would have been known about the lives of women in general from the first-person accounts of a woman whose lives touched so many others in her community. As Thatcher wraps up her summary of Martha Ballard’s life, she reminds readers that history is full of people known for their wars on others. Much less is known about those who practices of healing and peace blessed their neighbors and communities.  Applications for Leaders So what does this have to do with leadership? One important truth about leadership is that no one is really leading unless someone is following them. When you think about a life like Martha Ballard’s, it is easy to see her influence that came from her skills as a midwife and her reputation as a respected healer. At the same time, her life was filled with the drama, tragedy and conflicts of family and community life where the decisions of others often negatively affected her life as well.  Through it all, however, Martha Ballard is an example of a life well lived. A woman who lived out what it means to serve others, to restrain from harsh judgements of her neighbors, and to move forward each day in what ways she could do to serve.  Now It’s Your Turn People may or may not look back on your own service someday with perspective. Most of us will never be known outside the circle of our influence. And sometimes that service may be unnoticed or misunderstood. It is safe to say that if you’re waiting for recognition or gratitude, it will come in small tokens. For the most part, great leaders serve regardless of the feedback. It is the task before them that provides the opportunity to help.  As you continue serving others, remember that the small acts of giving, caring, instructing, and supporting others may not be written in a history book. But you are still leaving behind a legacy in the important ways you are touching the lives of those right in front of you. Just this afternoon, I was on a phone call with a principal who shared hard he and his team are working to respond to the difficulties his students have faced in the disruptions from the past two years. It is not easy. Even in the craziness of managing school during a pandemic, keep in mind that your unseen actions, sacrifices, and communications still matter. As a fellow educator and a parent, I see and appreciate what you’re doing. Please don’t let the loud voices of the few outweigh the sensibility of the quieter members of your community. Right now hundreds of others in your school community are quietly recognizing the difference you’re making. Someday, history may or may not reveal your untold stories. Whether anyone ever knows or not, what you’re doing still matters. The post PMP277: Lessons in Leadership from a Colonial Midwife appeared first on Principal Matters.