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

Latrese D. Younger is an instructional lead learner in Virginia. Her passion is English language arts and she believes that she will always be a teacher at heart. Latrese has a servant mindset, spirit, and attitude that she believes helps keep her grounded. She resides with her son, husband, and English bulldog. In her spare time, she loves writing, reading, and social media curating. WDP: What has leading through a pandemic looked like for you and your school community?  Latrese Younger: As an assistant principal, my goal has involved a lot of grace giving – focusing first on the care and safety of our students and families. It was about the 4th quarter when students were allowed to return to in-person learning. One of our goals has also been to make sure our teachers know how important they are, and that we recognize how hard they have worked this year. WDP: How are you responding to decision-fatigue and/or teacher exhaustion this time of the school year? Latrese Younger: First, you must acknowledge the reality. One outlet for me has been listening to podcasts so that I don’t feel isolated in the experience we have had this year. Also, as a person of faith, I believe it is so important to tap into that source of strength. Admit you will not always have all the answers during uncertain times, and be all right with that. WDP: What prompted you to begin your outreach via Black Women Education Leaders, Inc.?  Latrese Younger: This was not meant to be an organization. In November 2019, I began a Twitter page to amplify the voices of black women education leaders.  Only between 11-13% of education leadership positions are held by black educators – most of those in elementary education or in the role of assistant principal. To change that trajectory, I have joined together with other women to form an organization, Black Women Education Leaders to feature and highlight black women education leaders. (See additional research on diversity in education leadership here.) It is important to remember that representation matters. As much as possible, school leadership needs to reflect the diversity the schools they value. Even in communities with predominantly white populations, students need to see this diversity represented in educators and education leaders. WDP: In a politically charged climate, how are you navigating barriers to meaningful conversations on race or equality? Latrese Younger: The goal is to educate. One of my colleagues and I taught our district leadership on the criminalization of black female students. We were able to relay our own implicit biases as educators and some class issues that we had to get over. We were successful in helping others understand this perspective. When we think of ourselves as educators, how can we not have these conversations? Our students do not understand what is happening, and it is the role of adults to model constructive conversations about important issues. The way I manage difficult conversations is to affirm and to understand. Listen and ask parents, for instance, to explain what makes them uncomfortable or concerned. I come to the table with an understanding of our school’s curriculum and the importance of critical thinking. Even in the conversations I’ve had with parents over curriculum and race, we have walked away not frustrated. The goal is to support the students, the teachers, and the parents. WDP: As you look at leading in post-pandemic conditions, what are some of your hopes and plans? Latrese Younger: We would really like to host a retreat for our educators so that our team has an opportunity to relax, refocus and redirect our attention for the year ahead. It’s important for me to get out of the school building to re-group and gain a new perspective. Give yourself grace. You have lived and survived educating through a pandemic. Make sure you use this summer time to refresh. Now It’s Your Turn Listen to the entire episode for more valuable feedback from Latrese Younger on instructional leadership, school culture and more! What ways are you planning to rest and refocus in the months ahead? How can lead important conversations about race with others that is built around connection and relationship? You can connect with Latrese D. Younger via Twitter @LatreseYounger or the Black Women Education Leaders website: https://www.blackwomeneducationleaders.com The post PMP248: Inspiring and Leading Learning with Latrese D. Younger appeared first on Principal Matters.

Dr. Kimberly Miles is the Principal of East Gresham Elementary in Gresham, Oregon. A former elementary teacher and reading coach, she transitioned into a district instructional coach before becoming a principal. She has eleven years of experience in school leadership, and is a turnaround principal – having led a school community that has seen marked improvement in student outcomes. Balancing Needs for Safety with Learning WDP: You have so much passion for teaching and learning. As a guest on episode 246, you shared in a group discussion about the challenges of re-visiting teaching priorities even in the midst of a pandemic. How are you planning ahead to regain ground in student learning? Kimberly Miles: It is important to remember that learning never stops. I need to model first for my students and staff. How do we accelerate learning for them? Learning is definitely different during a pandemic, but we’re also meeting social-emotional needs. It is a dance we are doing each day to make sure students have both emotional and academic health.  WDP: As you manage the tension of managing caring and teaching, what advice do you have for principals as they are strategizing unfinished learning? Kimberly Miles: We must really prioritize the time teacher have together for time to analyze student outcomes and strategize next steps. As a leader, I have to ask what can I take off the plates of teachers so that they more time for collaborating around ways to help student learning improve. How can I help provide them that time?  WDP: What works for your school may not be the same actions that work for others, but you have discovered strategies that work for your school, including a great master schedule you’ve developed for unfinished learning. Can you talk about how you developed that kind of planning? Kimberly Miles: Teachers need time to collaborate, and principals need that time as well. Each of our children needs access to core content and opportunities. As a district team, we shared priorities we would share in common across the district. When we brought our master schedule to our leadership team, we analyzed it based on whether it addressed our core values, including blocks of time for Language Arts, Math, and social-emotional learning.  I’m really proud of the priority we have for teachers to collaborate together. Our master schedule reflects that priority to meet within the school day. Also, we have allocated time for literacy, comprehension, vocabulary, and writing.  WDP: When you look at your master schedule for addressing unfinished learning from the perspective of a third grader in your school, what kind of schedule would he or she encounter? Kimberly Miles: First, we need to consider school culture. Are we making school a place where students want to attend? These settings may including classrooms with quiet music playing, personalized goals placed on boards, check-in times for students, and transitions into reading goals. Core literacy instruction may be followed by small groups. Brain breaks include movement or dancing to make place for energy. Reading practice may be followed by a special like P.E., music or library time. This may be followed by writing and math – making sure it is relevant. After lunch, we want time for recess and play. Maybe experience some hands-on learning as we integrate science, social and health into our core literacy standards. We also provide language development. As a Title 1 school, we also provide individualized Tier-2 instruction. We are a school where students have full, active days for learning. WDP: From the perspective of a teacher, how are you structuring time for them?  Kimberly Miles: We are focused on professional learning communities with a deep-dive into what the data tells us about student learning. But developing a community where families and students want to come is so important for teachers to facilitate learning. This also includes shared leadership. We make decisions together. We look at each child so that we can decide what we need to do to facilitate what they need for learning. We also share our school story on social media a lot so that parents can see the experience and culture of our school. WDP: What concerns do you have as students and families try to reconnect with learning post-pandemic? Kimberly Miles: I want them to know we will do whatever it takes to help them reach their goals. First, we must create warm, welcoming places where they want to be. Our staff is relentless in the pursuit of making students feel appreciated for who they are.  WDP: How can other leaders stay connected with you? Kimberly Miles: You can connect via Twitter at  @afewthingsworth or by email at miles16@gresham.k12.or.us. Do not feel alone. I enjoy connecting with other educators across the country. If there is any way I can help, please reach out. Now It’s Your Turn Listen to the entire episode for even more takeaways from Principal Miles. Check out Kimberly’s great blog at http://afewthingsworthreading.blogspot.com. Like Dr. Kimberly Miles says, “You are not alone.” As you step into this next season of learning at your school, please stay connected with other leaders as you plan ahead. Take time to refresh yourself, and thank you for doing what matters! The post PMP247: Leading Through ‘Unfinished Learning’ with Kimberly Miles appeared first on Principal Matters.

During the fall semester, I invited listeners to some virtual meetings to share protocols for re-opening their schools. We formed a free Re-opening Mastermind and met once a week for six weeks to brainstorm and collaborate. Just a few days ago, I hosted a meeting to re-connect with some of these same leaders in a virtual reunion. This time principals were invited to share updates on how each principal was wrapping up this historic school year of managing during a pandemic. Common Challenges Four school principals joined me on April 28, 2021, for this reunion conversation. They included: Sam Fuller, South Aiken High School, Aiken, South CarolinaEric Hoops, Chanute Elementary School, Chanute, KansasKimberly Miles, East Gresham Elementary, Gresham, OregonCynthia Winchester, Mary Helen Berlanga Elementary, Corpus Christie, Texas This school year has included so many challenges. As Principal Sam Fuller shared, “If you don’t feel like you’re drowning, you probably don’t care.”  Sam’s point was that all leaders have felt overwhelmed: Teachers exhaustion, decision-fatigue, credibility crises, and challenges in teaching and learning — all of these obstacles have been even larger with safety protocols and political pressures. In addition, principals have often been the last ones to consider self-care or emotional support for their own experiences during this school year. Solutions to Consider We also shared ideas on ways school leaders are finding solutions for the challenges ahead. These included: Networking with other administratorsBuilding master schedules to bridge the gapsIdentifying priorities for actions stepsRe-discovering positive morale boosters Wherever you are in your semester, you deserve a big congratulations for the innovation, courage, and dedication to providing opportunities to your students. When you connect with other leaders, you find you share a lot in common and often discover solutions you would not find alone. Listen to the entire podcast conversation for more feedback and takeaways. Now It’s Your Turn What are some lessons you’ve learned from serving your school community during the pandemic? What are some of the challenges you’re facing where collaboration with others may help? Mastermind OpeningsThroughout the summer, I will have openings for the Principal Matters Mastermind. If you’re interested, check out the application page here, or reach out to me by email at will@williamdparker.com for more information. The post PMP246: Challenges and Solutions Leading Post-Pandemic appeared first on Principal Matters.

Joy Kelly is the co-author of the new book, Handle with Care: Managing Difficult Situations in Schools with Dignity and Respect, co-authored with Jimmy Casas.  Joy has more than twenty-five years of educational experience in public and parochial schools as a teacher, coach, mentor, associate principal and principal. In 2015, she was named the Iowaa Associate Principal of the Year. She also provides coaching and training for new administrators in Iowas. Joy serves as a leadership coach for administrators across the country on behalf of J Cass & Associates. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Iowas, a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Northern  Iowa, and is a licensed PK-12 superintendent; she also has an Educational Specialist (Ed.S) degree from the University of Iowa. Q & A with Joy Kelly WDP: Please fill in the gaps on that intro, and can you tell listeners something else they may be surprised to know about you? Joy Kelly: Once I was asked once to fill in the gap in the sentence, ‘I am an educator because _________________.’ I wrote, ‘I am an educator because is the most effective way for me to minister to others.” WDP: You start the book with a story called ‘Would you rather I call mom or dad?’ Can you explain the story here and how it should influence the way we serve students? Joy Kelly: This story reminds us that we never know what is going on in the hearts of your students. In this scenario, a principal had a student in her office for discipline. When she asked that question, he said, ‘You cannot talk to either.’ He went on to explain that his parents were dead because his father had murdered his mother. It is so important that we remember every student has a story. And every teacher has a story. It’s important that people see us as more than school officials. We must handle others with care... WDP: Educators invest a lot of time in correcting behavior or guiding student discipline. What ideas should leaders keep in mind for ‘culturizing discipline’? Joy Kelly: When students have missteps, we need to understand it is the job of students to push the line, and it’s the job of administrators to hold the line. But we cannot have those immportant conversations without first building trusting relationships. Take time to explain the ‘why’ behind school rules. Admit when you make mistakes. Remind students they are not defined by their mistakes... WDP: The pandemic has led to many challenges, including helping students to feel connected to school pride and activities. What ideas do you have for educators to keep in mind when trying to ‘culturize’ even in diffcult times? Joy Kelly: You find out a lot about your school culture during difficult times. Lead with relationships before rigor. Take time to ask, ‘What is it you need me to better understand?’ One of the first things I told my teachers when the pandemic began was that perfection is not expected. This perspective works with students and with staff…  WDP: You also talk about being a ‘merchant of hope’. How can educators keep this in mind while also trying to achieve academic goals and outcomes? Joy Kelly: Time, place, and manner are important. Ask yourself, ‘Is this the appropriate way to have the difficult conversation that is needed?’ Also, understand to be careful with power and give students options and choices. Finally, be open to feedback. I have to be willing to hear a little bad news if I’m going to improve... Now It’s Your Turn Listen to the entire podcast episode with Joy Kelly for even more takeaways! What ways can you build deeper relationships, provide students with choice, and give teachers permission to take risks? This week give yourself permission to handle your students and staff with care. Reach out to Joy Joy has presented on topics related to school culture at state and national conferences, including NASSP and ASCD. She believes the culture within a school is dependent on strong connections among all members of the community, rooted in kindness, respect and dignity. She maintains that the culture of an organization is directly related to its performance and that the responsibility for cultivating meaningful relationships throughout the school rests with all members of the community. Contact Joy via Twitter at: @joykelly05 or email joymkleely5@gmail.com The post PMP245: Handling Schools with Care with Joy Kelly appeared first on Principal Matters.

Marita Diffenbaugh is honored to serve as principal of Elevate Academy North, a public Career Technical charter school for students in 6th-12th grades.  She has served as a teacher, administrator, and has provided leadership support for districts, schools, and classrooms. As a partner with Elevate Academy Inc., Marita is connecting education with industry and community by developing, planning, and launching this new North Idaho school in Fall 2022. Marita is dedicated to using her strengths and experiences to advocate for respect and opportunity for all learners. Marita believes that hope is a prerequisite for learning, and looks for ways to help others see their value. Her recently published book, L.E.A.R.N.E.R., Finding the True, Good, and Beautiful in Education, is for hope-givers who thrive when helping others develop their full potential.  WDP: Can you fill in the gaps on that introduction and tell listeners something else they may be surprised to know about you? Marita Diffenbaugh: It may surprise listeners to know I did not complete traditional high school. Part of my story is helping students find hope – especially ones like me. WDP: As an educator and education leader, you live by the philosophy of providing hope. Can you explain why that is a driving force in your ‘why’ as an educator? Marita Diffenbaugh: As a teen mom, I received my GED. Through cosmetology to managing a local grocery store, I was determined not to become a teacher. But I finally realized education is the best avenue for helping students find hope. I love my role in education now. WDP: You use the acronym L.E.A.R.N.E.R. throughout your book to help educators keep in mind important ways to help learners reach their full potential. Can you explain what each letter stands for in LEARNER, and then walk through one or two areas that may help listeners apply those ideas to their own leadership and service? Marita Diffenbaugh: Sometimes it is difficult to feel like you’ve met the mark as educators. From experience I came up with this acronym. If educators or students follow these steps, they will find success in learning. Listens – An educator provides welcome, readiness and ways for students to contribute. Empowers – What’s the vibe at your school and district? Is there active feedback for everyone to feel like they belong? Analyzes – I’ve been thinking about better ways to measure success. Not all students find success through benchmarks. But all students are learning. Find out what you’re going to keep, what you’ll research, and what will get rid of. Resources – Instead of budgets, I’m talking about wonder, play and spaces to learn. Needs – Hope is the prerequisite. It is the biggest need students have in order to learn. You can encourage small wins, joy and celebrations for learning. Set goals, learning plans and guidance for reaching goals. Experiences – Through my life as an educator, I’ve realized if you are analyzing whom you are serving, you may miss the mark matching learning to needs. Your lessons mean you study the learner while he/she studies the content. Relationships – This means honoring the whole person, which is the greatest measure of success. WDP: How do you apply that philosophy to the way you serve learners? Marita Diffenbaugh: One of the areas I’ve been studying is, “What is feedback?” Understanding why learning is not happening means listening and empowering. This leads to analyzing the root cause. It’s really no different that watching children play – they always give responsive feedback. Educators need that same perspective to see learning happen. Now It’s Your Turn If you are looking for a culture building resource for teams working to provide education as a service, Marita’s new book will provide support. Consider inviting families and community members, along with district and school staff to reflect and respond to the following questions, while reading this book together:  Where is Your Attention?  Who is Learning?  What is Learning?  How Will Learning Continue?  What Will Support Learners?  What is Valuable to Learners?  How Will I Connect With Learners? Listen to the entire podcast episode for more great takeaways. You can find Marita Diffenbaugh’s new book at https://amzn.to/36Xdl5X or follow her via Twitter @MDiffenbaugh. The post PMP244: Being a Hope Giver with Marita Diffenbaugh appeared first on Principal Matters.

Jessica Wee is the Principal of Rainbow Centre Yishun Park  School in Singapore. She has previously served in the school  as Vice Principal before taking over principalship six years ago.   Rainbow Centre School serves 400 students with autism and multiple disabilities.The school aims to nurture young persons with disabilities (aged 7-18) into adults who are able to live independently and interdependently, to grow continuously, and to engage in active participation and contribution to the community. Her goal is to serve the underprivileged, but she realizing she is on the receiving end of much grace through this leadership journey. A firm believer that ‘everything rises and falls on leadership’, she continues a humble journey of self discovery as a leader. WDP: Welcome to the Principal Matters podcast! Can you fill in the gaps on that  intro and tell us something listeners may be surprised to know about you?  Jessica Wee: I did not start off to be an educator, in fact, my first career was in  marketing and product development. I did a mid-career switch to  education to spend more time with my family as my previous job  involved a great deal of travelling and time away from home. Since  then, there is no regrets entering education. I am grateful for my  experience in the commercial sector and I have incorporated some  of the best practises into the management of the school.  WDP: Can you tell us more about your school? What do you find are the challenges  and opportunities of leading in your school?  Jessica Wee: Rainbow Centre schools offer an education that goes beyond the disabilities of the students we serve. The outcomes-based functional  curriculum is facilitated by a teaching team and supported by an  interdisciplinary team of therapists, psychologists, and social workers  to enable students to access their educational goals.   Each student gets an Individualised Education Plan – a customised  learning roadmap. Integrating co-curricular activities, therapy services,  the use of technology and character and citizenship education, our  students experience a well-rounded education experience.  In leading a school of 400 with students from junior years to young  adults, it does present safety challenges. Family collaboration can  also present its challenges as much effort is still needed to  understand individual family dynamics to ensure success in this area.   There are many possibilities as I believe in maximizing potential of a  child. I see providing accessible learning and participation as of  utmost importance for the students. With technological support,  creativity and the courage to challenge the status quo, we can  certainly develop innovative and personalized communicative and mobility solutions to break down barriers for the special needs  students.  WDP: How has leading through a pandemic affected your own school community?  Jessica Wee: The first case of COVID was confirmed on 23 January 2020. Early  cases were primarily imported until local transmission began to  develop in February and March. Thanks to the Singapore  government’s swift action with formation of COVID taskforce, the Ministry of Education worked closely with the Ministry of Health and  supported the school community with various safe management measures. The government announced school closure for about a  month in April to curb the spread of COVID-19. All schools shifted to full home-based learning until May 4.  With the announcement, we scrambled in a shortest time to  develop a HBL COVID ready plan for students, parents and staff.   School wide Structure  The school has put in place a structure for students to continue  learning at home, especially for the ASD population, to maintain as  much as possible a daily routine that can enable them to easily  transit back to school after the full HBL period. We have transformed  the School wide assembly programme which used to be held at the  auditorium into video lessons e.g. Exercises, Story-Reading, Time  with Principal. These resources become useful for  parents/caregivers to meaningfully engage the students at home.  In addition, for students who have challenges accessing the online  platform, the school transport vendor would deliver HBL physical  resource packs to them.  Communication to Parents  For continued support to parents during the full HBL period,  teachers were also required to check in with their class parents  once a week on Mondays via ClassDojo to communicate on the  following:   ✔ HBL content that the teacher has shared for the current week; ✔ Invite parents to check in with the teacher anytime  during the week, if they have questions;  ✔ State clearly the timing of ‘live’ lessons with the child  during the current week; and ✔ Checking on the well beings of the parents.  Professional Learning for full HBL   Other useful supports which the school has put in place to support  our teachers include the HBL Drive in Google Drive and the ongoing  HBL PLT Sharing Sessions organized and conducted by the school  team comprising the teaching and learning specialist and subject  teacher in functional academics.  HBL ISSUES / CHALLENGES  COVID-19 has greatly changed the way the school works and the way  we will continue to work even after the full HBL period is over and  full school-based learning has resumed once again. Amazingly, many  of our students have surprised and delighted us with the ease and  enthusiasm they have taken to remote learning. Many of our  teachers and APs too remain excited and encouraged by the  possibilities and unexpected opportunities which have surfaced in  these challenging times.   One of the most exciting possibilities that we see with HBL is that  school has begun to establish a structure in family collaboration,  with parents/caregivers playing a more active role in their child’s  education, which is crucial once our students exit the school system.  This area has always been a challenge to the school and we are  beginning to see positive changes at home with HBL, the Good Life  Goals which the school has envisioned are slowly becoming a reality.   When students returned to school, intensive efforts were made to  put in safe management measures so as to ensure a safe learning  environments for the students.   WDP: What has been one of your most challenging experiences in school  leadership? What lesson did you learn that may help other leaders to keep in mind?  Jessica Wee: One of my most challenging experiences in school leadership is capacity building of my middle management. Many of the senior teachers and head of programme started off as teachers. They came into the special education  sector with a heart to serve. They are patient and compassionate in nature.  Therefore, as they move up the career ladder to take on management  position, it requires a new set of skills in people management and programme  management. It is no surprise that sometimes they struggle with balancing  care and candour.   One lesson which I learned was the importance of people development.  Leaders need to be groomed and thus I allotted time to have leadership  conversation with my senior staff, and help them to develop a personal growth  plan.   WDP: What lessons are you practicing in self-care (to pause, breathe, and flourish)?  Jessica Wee: I practice self-care by pausing daily to be thankful for all the  blessings in my life through prayer, and daily reflection on my  personal and professional lives.  I breathe in fresh air daily through brisk walking, Pilate and  swimming. As I am a foodie, I enjoy hunting for new eating places  and enjoy a good meal with family or friends. Before, COVID,  travelling to new places also rejuvenate me.  I flourish with renewal of God’s words daily from the bible. I am also an avid reader and enjoy listening to podcasts and TED Talk.  Now It’s Your Turn Are you able to identify areas in your leadership where you are still ‘incomplete’ as Jessica explains? In what ways are you investing in the care of your students and your staff so they are equally able to grow in the days ahead? You can stay connected with Principal Wee’s work at the Rainbow Centre website. The post PMP243: Grace in the Journey with Jessica Wee appeared first on Principal Matters.

Brittainy Harris has been working at Xi’an International School, located in China, since 2010. With her undergraduate degree in education, she landed at this American-based international school (that was founded in 1996 with the help of Shaanxi Provincial Bureau of Education) and began to teach multicultural students in a 4th grade classroom for a total of 4 years. In 2015, she shifted to Middle School English for a total of 6 years, 4 of those years using her master’s degree in Curriculum as Curriculum Director. During her years in the classroom, she found that connection between people and focus on content helped students with not only developing as students, but also to be life-long learners and tomorrow’s leaders. 2020-2021 is her first year as a Principal. She finds leading through a Pandemic at an international school is a wonderful challenge for her first year and is thankful for the support of her XIS community and beyond. Paul Wendler has been in China since 2001 when he and his wife started teaching at the university level.  After many years of language learning, humanitarian work, raising children overseas and teaching in Chinese public schools, both university and High School/Middle School, Paul was recruited by the XIS school board to become it’s first superintendent in 2014.  Since then he has worked closely with two principals in creating a long-term and sustainable vision for the future. Paul has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, has a satisfactory grasp on the Chinese language, and holds two master’s degrees in both Business Ethics and Teaching English as a Second Language.  In this series with school leaders from across the globe, Brittainy and Paul share lessons they have been learning while leading an international school during a pandemic.  Listen in to the entire episode, but here is a short summary: Questions & Answers with Brittainy and Paul WDP: Brittainy and Paul. Welcome to Principal Matters Podcast. Can you fill in the gaps on that intro and tell listeners something else they may be surprised to know about you? Brittainy: You may be surprised to know I was a struggling student with dyslexia. I have overcome a lot of learning challenges to become an educator.  Paul: I’m a practicing ventriloquist with a puppet named Pong-Pong the Panda. I still have room to grow but plan to introduce Pong-Pong to the world in a couple of years. WDP: Can you tell us more about your school? What do you find are the challenges and opportunities of leading in your school? Paul: Because we are an international school, many of our teachers are native English speakers and were home in the states when the pandemic began. A lot of them are still in the states, which means we have had many classes being monitored by other adults while our teachers teach online from abroad. Brittainy: We have been using the free study guide from Pause. Breathe. Flourish.: Living Your Best Life as an Educator with our staff. This has allowed us to focus on self-care even as we prepare to work with our students. WDP: What are some of the unique advantages of leading an international school? Brittainy: As an international school, we teach students from a lot of different cultures and countries. Where Americans are strong in creativity, our Asian students tend to show strength in memorization. We offer Chinese to all our students so that our students can connect with their own neighbors. Paul: I have a passion to see students catch on to learning a lot earlier than I did as a kid. Some of our students are amazingly talented. We want them to foster a desire for learning in them. This is also my community as I’ve lived here since 2010. We want our students to engage in their communities here and really live here. It’s so important for them to study the language and step out of the foreign bubble.  WDP: What lessons are you practicing in self-care (to pause, breathe, and flourish)? Brittainy: One of my favorite ways to refill my emotional tank is through the influence of others. I try to listen deeply and take in the stories of others, even with podcasts like yours. The influence of others helps me to keep my influence positive. Paul: I find strength by making bad news good news. In other words, I look for ways God may be using the difficult parts of my day to teach me. Scripture, especially, the Psalms have been a real source of strength for me. Now It’s Your Turn Paul and Brittainy share even more takeaways in the podcast interview. Listen-in for more lessons learned! Their team has enjoyed a Pause. Breathe. Flourish. book study with the free study guide from at https://www.connectedd.org/resources. You can contact Brittainy via email at principal@xischool.com. Or reach out to Paul via email at pwendler@xischool.com. Visit their school website at https://xianinternationalschool.com The post PMP242: Leading from Xi’an International School with Brittainy Harris and Paul Wendler appeared first on Principal Matters.

Loredana Borello is the Principal of Brescia House Secondary School in Johannesburg, South Africa. Brescia House School is a Catholic Ursuline All Girls Independent School from K-12.  As a principal, she is passionate about empowering and educating girls to take up their place as leaders in society, equipped with courage and compassion. She also is interested in mentorship, which was the focus of the research for her Masters in Education from the University of the Witwatersrand, in Johannesburg. Mentoring student teachers and interns in the practice of teaching is a vital responsibility to ensure that students are taught by dedicated and passionate teachers. In addition, she loves reading about leadership and personal development. Questions & Answers with Loredana Borello WDP: Welcome to Principal Matters podcast! Can you fill in the gaps on that intro and tell us something listeners may be surprised to know about you? Loredana Borello: After 30 years in the classroom, I returned to school for my Masters degree. One is never too old to start being a student again! WDP: Can you tell us more about your school? What do you find are the challenges and opportunities of leading in an All Girls School? Loredana Borello: There is a quite a diversity of schools in South Africa. Brecia House is a very well-resourced Catholic school. Each school has similarities and differences in the facing the pandemic. Being an all-girls school, there are some common challenges: educating the whole-child. For girls to really believe they are enough as they are. Who they are is more important than what society tells them what a woman should be or how they should be behave. The opportunity an all-girls has is to educate young girls that they are enough and take a place at the leadership table. I’m committed to courage and compassion. From K-12, our school has roughly 900 girls. We have a principal for the primary school, and I am at the high school. I’ve taken up this position as head of Brecia in my third year now. To inspire the teachers that what they do also is paramount. WDP: How has leading through a pandemic affected your own school community? Loredana Borello: Like I’m sure with many, we have had our ups and downs. Getting protocols all happening was important, but the economic crisis made it difficult for many families to not be able to pay school fees. With those pressures also came the emotional and psychological challenges for our students. Our psychologists and social workers had to reach out to many of them to help them through it. The learning became a huge opportunity for teamwork.  The opportunities created from this space gave us opportunities to do some things differently: holding parent/teacher meetings on screens, allowing students to stay connected, hosting online music concerts, bake-offs, daily prayers/meditation, and doing physical activity challenges.  We are back in school, but we do have some students who have not been able to return. So we have hybrid learning opportunities. As long as we’ve had protocols in place, school has been the safer place to be.  Let’s Wrap This Up Listen to the entire episode for even more great takeaways from Principal Borello’s experiences, including how mentoring has played a role with serving students and how she pracitecs self-care! You can stay connected with Loredana Borello at https://www.brescia.co.za or by email at hshead@brescia.co.za Now It’s Your Turn In what ways has the pandemic re-shaped your service to your own school community? I’d love to hear your story. Reach out by email at will@williamdparker.com The post PMP241: Lessons from an All Girls School with Loredana Borello appeared first on Principal Matters.

Seán Óg Ó Duinnín is Principal of Scoil Mhuire, a small Irish language medium school in Ballingeary, Co. Cork, Ireland since 2006.  In his time there, he has seen many developments of physical facilities with the support of Cork Education and Training Board and implemented a Restorative Practices approach to school-based relationships. He recently completed his Masters in Gaeltacht & Irish Medium Education at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick. He is currently a mentor/supervisor for others on this course.  He is also a Personal, Leadership & Executive Coach and posts on www.spreagadh.com (Irish for Inspiration) where he also has an Irish medium podcast. The podcast is not education-based but enquires of guests what inspires them and how they have grown and developed resilience, amongst other skills, in their lives.  Q & A with Seán Óg Ó Duinnín WDP: Can you fill in the gap on the intro and tell us something else that might surprise listeners to know about you? Seán: You will be surprised to know that when I was a boy, I was the voice actor for the Irish episodes of the cartoon character Arthur.   WDP: Recently, you shared some thoughts with me on ways you’re applying lessons from Pause. Breathe. Flourish. Can you share some of those ideas with listeners? Seán: As leaders, we often feel guilty for taking care of ourselves. It is why airline attendants remind you to place your oxygen mask on first. But I would take the metaphor further. We are not just a passenger, we are the pilots. When a crisis happens, we’re not riding in coach, we’re in the cockpit trying to decide how we’re going to land the plane.  When I talk to leaders about self-care, they often tell me they just don’t have the time. We have to set the stepping stones, including good sleep, cutting back on caffeine, and turning off streaming devices. An early morning is great time to start the day. I charge my phone downstairs. I begin the day without the phone on. The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holliday has been really good for me for reading and journaling. I fit in time for meditation, drink coffee, water, and then I check my phone. Consider these areas in your own practice: SleepMeditationReadingEating WellExerciseGratitude One way to foster gratitude is to use the words: ‘Rose, Rose, Thorn, Bud’… Rose: What is something positive about the day? Rose: What is something else positive from the day? Thorn: What is something challenging from the day? (And listen without offering solutions.) Bud: What is something you’re looking forward to?      WDP: How are you applying those lessons to the ways you serve your school community? Seán: Another priority we set during the pandemic has been “connection before content.” Even before the importance of covering the course, we must first have a human connection. WDP: In what ways has your school been able to continue serving during the pandemic? Seán: Even before the pandemic, we used restorative practices. While we have been remote, we’ve continued many of those same practices, including checking in with students and asking them rank themselves emotionally. We also choose wellness activities, including fitness, gardening, art, song, baking and cooking. WDP: In what other ways have you been implementing restorative based practices in your school? Seán: It’s not if conflict occurs, it’s when conflict occurs, knowing how to restore trust in relationships… Instead of getting furious, we get curious to know why something is happening… We are more comfortable with listening to each other. Schools are based on relationships. The human connection is at the core of our business.  Let’s Wrap This Up Listen to the entire episode for even more great takeaways on self-care and leadership during a pandemic! You can connct with Seán Óg Ó Duinnín via Twitter @seanogoduinnin or check out his podcast at www.spreagadh.com. The post PMP240: Self-Care Lessons with Seán Óg Ó Duinnín appeared first on Principal Matters.

As schools re-open across the globe, Principal Matters listeners have been sharing common experiences and lessons learned, including in Ireland. Toirdealbhach Ó Lionáird  serves a principal of Coláiste Ghobnatan, a second level high school in southwest Ireland. With 235 students, he has been the Principal there since 2017 and Deputy there since 2012. In addition, he teaches classes in French and English. His master’s thesis was a study in the experiences of school principals’ experiences. Listen to the entire episode for valuable lessons. Here are some additional questions we discuss: WDP: Can you share more about what would helpful for listeners to know about you and your school? T. Ó Lionáird: In short, I am a serving principal of a second level school (high school) here in southwest Ireland. It’s a small, rural school, situated in what we call a “Gaeltacht” area where the Irish language was once the predominant language.  These days a lot of language planning is in hand to reinvigorate the language and inspire the younger generation. We have a school population of 235 students, the majority of whom are fed from the local primary schools. The projected growth is for numbers to reach 300 by 2030, which puts us in line for an extension to the school building, currently at design stage. The teaching staff consists of 20 full-timers, an office administrator, janitor and cleaner.  Our governing body is Cork Education and Training Board which has a remit of 34 colleges ranging from primary through second level to third level. I’m lucky to have access to this solid, readily available network of good colleagues. I’m 44 now but have been serving a Principal since 2017, having held the position of Deputy for 5 years prior to that. I teach classes of French and English.  An inclination to lead seems to come easily to me (not that leadership is at all easy) as I’ve always striven to help others and improve on the status quo.  I have taken on further study every 5 years or so and have particular interest in other principals’ experiences (my thesis in a Masters completed in 2020 focused on this topic), along with student voice and immersion education. Once upon a time, I had aspirations to a football player and touched on the national team, but my focus has taken me elsewhere.  WDP: How have you stayed connected with your school community during the pandemic? T. Ó Lionáird: It has been pretty challenging. Since the 12thof March, 2020, Ireland has been shut down. For the new school year, we used Microsoft 365 to begin again in September 2020. We have managed to stay connected with that platform, but we also use phone calls to stay in touch. WDP: When you do expect to be back in-person? T. Ó Lionáird: It’s a bit of a political football in Ireland. It’s likely the senior students will return first in March 2021. A certain cohort of students has already returned. We are looking forward to be back even with masks.   WDP: What new routines have you discovered? T. Ó Lionáird: Each class group has a teacher or tutor who checks in with students, and we have a guidance counselor who connects with them too. We also have a challenge with students for being outside and taking steps to stay healthy. WDP: We all share similar experiences. You researched principal practice in your master’s thesis. What are some takeaways from that research? T. Ó Lionáird: The context I’m working in is immersion education, teaching in the language of Irish. I wanted to see what principal experiences were like outside of areas that speak Irish. At the end, I realized we had very similar experiences. One suggestion I had was for principals to have more continuity in preparation and continuing education. No doubt, COVID has created issues and challenges for principals whose students are expected to take state exams. We are trying to find another way to access in a way other than through exams as students don’t presently have a way to recoup if they miss the exam or are sick during examinations. WDP: What advice would you have for aspiring education leaders? T. Ó Lionáird: I think the initial impression I had of leadership was one of workload. I actually had no idea how much there was to do as a principal. When I was a deputy, I focused more on compartmentalized areas. But the magnitude of the principal’s work is amazing. You have to learn to park it. When you lock the door of your office, leave the work there. Be prepared on what is to be expected so that you have your head around what it is you will want to achieve. A small caveat would be that I probably should have invested in distributive leadership – to better share the workload with others. WDP: Can you explain how your school is committed to student leadership? T. Ó Lionáird: We allow our students to have input in their learning. Students should have a voice of what happens in the classroom and be able to co-construct lessons. Students are not just along for the ride, they should be recognized for the potential they have in shaping learning.  WDP: I agree. Principals who seem to navigate best are the ones who also rely on students for feedback. What other ideas would you like to leave with listeners? T. Ó Lionáird: I would not consider myself an expert on immersion education, but I’ve realized how much I have had to learn. Also, action research and self-study is an area is an area that fascinates me. I’m glad to collaborate and can be reached via Twitter at @toirdealbhach. Now It’s Your Turn What unique lessons have you learned during this school year that you realize are common or uncommon from others? Ask that question to your teachers and staff and reflect on what ideas you want to carry into future practice in your school. Listen to the entire conversation for even more takeaways! The post PMP239: The Principal Experience Here & Abroad with Toirdealbhach Ó Lionáird appeared first on Principal Matters.