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

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.

“Students are at the heart of all we do,” says Principal Anne-Marie Maw. “If you’re ever struggling with what to do, put the students at the heart of your decision, and it will always make the decision easier.” This week I’m sharing the beginning of a new series on lessons from principals across the globe, beginning with an interview with Anne-Marie Maw, principal of St. Agatha’s Primary School Clayfield. St. Agatha’s Primary School has 340 children from Prep through Year 6. Clayfield is in the north east suburbs of Brisbane which is the capital city of the state of Queensland in Australia. Prior to her appointment at Clayfield, she had been an Assistant Principal in several Catholic schools in Brisbane and Sydney for 18 years and then several years teaching in Sydney and country New South Wales. St. Agatha’s is Anne-Marie’s first principalship, and COVID hit when she was only a few months into this role. In today’s conversation, we discuss lessons she has learned from leading during a pandemic. Q & A with Anne-Marie Maw WDP: I really want to unpack your story of how you provided quality learning for your school community during the pandemic. Can you walk us through what that was like for your school community when the pandemic first began? Anne-Marie: For me the biggest focus was around being clear in our approach, providing certainty where we could and making difficult calls which became a whole lot easier when we kept student safety and learning at the heart of what we did.  Australia have had very low COVID numbers and Queensland have been among the strictest in border security in Australia. To give you some perspective, in Brisbane in January, we had a snap 3 day complete lockdown because one person had tested positive to the new strain of COVID as a community contact. This was the week before school started back for the school year which was a bit terrifying! In Brisbane, we were locked down for 5 weeks last year only which I know is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the States and Europe. My mantra during this time was ‘We will continue to provide excellent learning and teaching regardless of context’. This is something we did particularly well. The focus on excellent learning and teaching included a whole school approach to how we would distribute our learning to students, a role out of technology to ensure every student had access to a device prior to the shut down, skilling up teachers to be able to manage this swift change in content delivery and a provision of face to face learning with students at least 3 times a day every day we were in lockdown.  WDP: As pandemic conditions continued through the school year, how did your efforts change or enhance? Anne-Marie: We provided weekly video assemblies for 6 months as we still couldn’t gather as a school community once students were back on site. Being a Catholic School we also ensured religious celebrations such as school prayer and liturgical celebrations continued in a virtual space. We had to cancel our Year 6 senior trip to Canberra which was really heartbreaking for the kids but we decided to have a sleepover at school instead!  WDP: What have been some of the challenges you face in keeping parents informed and connected? Anne-Marie: As a big community person, I found it hard not having parents on site. I had just started to get to know our school communtiy and then with everything shutting down I couldn’t have people on school grounds. Some parents said that I was deliberately keeping parents off-site and using COVID as an excuse which really hurt as it was the opposite of what I wanted. I had to keep my line whilst being compassionate and understanding to the needs of a community I was only just getting to know. The new challange is now that our community, like many in Australia, feel the COVID fatigue and we are still needing to provide measures such as limited numbers at our swimming carnival, social distancing and sanitising measures. The argument remains with many in our community ‘Why is it that we can have 40,000 people watch a football game and only 100 people can attend a swimming carnival’. Trying to keep clear around policy whilst building community back has been difficult.  Let’s Wrap This Up Anne-Marie shares even more great takeaways in this conversation! Listen to the entire episode for lessons she has applied in self-care and from studying my newest book, Pause. Breathe. Flourish.: Living Your Best Life as an Educator. Now It’s Your Turn How are you keeping students at the center of every decision during and after leading in a pandemic? Thanks for doing what matters! If you’d like to connect with Annie-Marie Maw via LinkedIn. Or follow St. Agatha’s School Clayfield on Facebook. The post PMP238: Lessons from an Australian Primary School with Anne-Marie Maw appeared first on Principal Matters.

As co-host and Principal Jen Schwanke explains, the system we live in requires us to make some of the biggest decisions of life with our gut feelings. Photo by kenteegardin – Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License  https://www.flickr.com/photos/26373139@N08 The good news is that you do not have to rely on gut feeling to find the right fit in leadership. What are steps you can take to be more intentional?  In this week’s episode, we explore several suggestions to keep in mind when interviewing or considering new positions in education: Visit before saying yes.Ask hard questions.Picture yourself and/or your family for the next ten years.Replace the ‘gut feeling’ with positives and negatives when making a final decision.Be clear on weaknesses and potential pitfalls.Remember fit does not mean perfection. When Is It Time to Stop? A podcast listener recently wrote in and said, “I think my follow up question for a future podcast is when is it time to just stop interviewing and find peace in your current reality?” To answer this question, we consider the following: Jen shares a heart warming story about a friend who chose to stay in teaching as his best fit.Remember there is a point to just have peace, not “move up” the proverbial career ladder.Look at the money, time, and commitment – weigh all those options before deciding.As yourself what else is there in your professional life you could enjoy without a move. Don’t limit yourself to titles Finally, we talk about the importance of not getting caught up in what organizational charts dictate as “up and down”. Perhaps you may also want to flex your leadership muscles in ways that don’t fit the title of principal. You may want to consider: Adjunct professorCoachingBloggingPodcastingPresenting at workshopsMentoring Let’s Wrap This Up As you consider next steps in your own professional practice, you may be satisfied with your current fit. If so, congratulations! If not, think about how to explore the next options with forethought, well-versed, and prepared. If you’re in the process of looking and want even more feedback on how to prepare for interviewing, check out other resources. Email us your questions. Or reach out to Jen or me if you’re interested in consulting or coaching options for preparing for the next step! The post PMP237: Tips for Finding the Right Fit in Your Leadership appeared first on Principal Matters.

Spring time brings new opportunities. For some educators, it is a time of year when you may start feeling a little restless. Photo by Ravi Roshan – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@ravi_roshan_inc?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit Perhaps you will be considering new candidates for openings at your school. Or maybe you will be looking at new possibilities for your own leadership journey. In a previous podcast episode, Jen Schwanke and I led a discussion on spring hiring, and we had questions and feedback from several listeners. This week, we wanted to circle back with a follow-up conversation, including responses to the following: Feedback from a Listener One listener wrote in with this great reflection: “I really thought that the Principalship would be my last stop before retirement, but I am getting restless. I am not sure if it is because the Principal role has turned out not to be the ‘dream job’ that I thought it would be. It is difficult to tell during this pandemic. This is my third year as the Principal of my building and 8th year in the same building. I loved every day as Assistant Principal, but I am just not feeling that same joy now.” “Listening to you and Jen has really made me focus my search and consider where I can add value in my current school district or surrounding districts. It made me laugh when Jen told her story about applying for the HR position. I feel the same way about interviewing, and I almost submitted my name for an HR administrator vacancy. I realized after listening to you that HR would not be a good fit for me.” What do you do when you feel restless in your work?  Here are several ideas Jen and I discuss (listen to the full episode for more context): As you think about the new semester, you may be looking at opportunities for movement or change. As you do, be careful not to search for ‘joy’ when searching for a job. Joy is not sustainable all the time in any work. First, you have to look for the right fit in your work and life – find the consistent behaviors that help you flourish. Then make that fit in whatever setting you find yourself. In addition, look to see ‘where the hole is’ and fill it. Are you bored? Are restless because you don’t feel supported or respected? Are you feeling disconnected from colleagues? Look at the root causes to see if those issues can be pro-actively addressed before making a big move. Especially during a pandemic, be careful not to overreact the temporary pressures that have been a part of this difficult school year. Another component to keep in mind is that your teachers are feeling this way too. Most educators share something in common right now: there is just not as much joy without assemblies, parties, and moments to meet without masks. But keep in mind, you have also made school work with new lessons learned. That’s a different kind of joy – realizing the lessons learned through difficult times. Finally, ask yourself what self-care practices do you employ when you feel you are at your best. Focus on the practices that work for you when things are not so crazy, and give yourself permission to re-engage with those actions now. You may be surprised that some of the ups and downs you experience are significantly influenced by those daily practices and routines. Let’s Wrap This Up If you are searching for a new position in the months ahead, you may also benefit from listening to Principal Matters Episode 232: Looking for a New Education Position, where Jen and I unpack more practical steps to keep in mind in your search for the right fit. Now It’s Your Turn What questions do you have about your own search or next move? Reach back by email with questions at will@williamdparker.com. What is one step you can take today to ‘fill the missing hole’ in your own self-care that may help you finish out the semester with more inspiration and joy? The post PMP236: What to do When You Feel Restless in Leadership appeared first on Principal Matters.

Andrew O’Farrell has been the Principal of Beach Street Middle School in West Islip, New York since 2009. Prior to becoming a principal, Andrew was an assistant principal of Lindenhurst Middle School.  Andrew began his journey in education as a Social Studies teacher and then became the Dean of Students at Dyker Heights Intermediate School I.S. 201 in Brooklyn NY.  Andrew has been married to his wife Kathy for 20 years and they have three High School/College aged daughters. During September 2020, his school successfully managed re-entry for students. In this week’s podcast episode, he shares lessons he has learned through a school year like no other, including: Collaboration from district, community, teachers, and students that set the tone for planning and re-opening Supports and strategic protocols that provided guidance for hybrid learning that soon led to full in-person instruction How students have adjusted, remained flexible and showed amazing resilience throughout the school year Lessons learned about the power of listening and relationships In addition, Andrew tells a heart-warming story of student success, and he shares how being a part of a Principal Matters Mastermind has enhanced his own leadership journey. Listen-in for even more takeaways! You can connect with Andrew O’Farrell at his school’s website http://www.wi.k12.ny.us/schools/beach_street or via Twitter @aofarrella. The post PMP235: Leading Re-Entry in a Pandemic with Andrew O’Farrell appeared first on Principal Matters.

This week, I had the privilege to interview TJ Warren, Director of Programs for Stand in the Gap Ministries. Located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Stand in the Gap is an organization committed to impacting the lives of orphans, widows and prisoners in partnership with generous donations from individuals, churches and businesses as well as various foundations. Specifically, he has been directly involved with assisting youth from difficult backgrounds and those who have aged out of foster care. Listen to the entire podcast episode to hear more about TJ’s background and something surprising to know about him. Here is a short summary of our conversation: Working with Students from Trauma WDP: What are some important ideas for educators to keep in mind when working with youth from traumatic backgrounds or those without essential resources? TJ Warren: First, it is important to learn to identify trauma-behavior. When you see behavior that is out-of-norm, remember there is usually a story behind that behavior. Behavior that is outside cultural norms should be a red-flag that it may be coming from trauma. We must have restorative responses, not punitive ones, if we are going to create safe environments where students can actually learn. This begins by knowing your students and understanding where they come from. As adults, we need to work from a relational perspective, not a transactional perspective. Respect is not something we demand from students. Instead our attitudes toward children must be that they deserve to be treated with dignity and respect just as we hope they will treat us likewise. But we adults must initiate a posture of dignity and respect if we hope to see the same cultivated in children. WDP: One of my classroom practices was to tell students every day, “I’m glad you’re here.” At the secondary level, eventually students would ask me why I said that phrase every day. When they did, I would remind them what an honor it was that they chose to step into class each day. Years later, I remember a former student visiting me to tell me how that phrase, “I’m glad you’re here,” was one that brought him a lot of encouragement while he was living in a very insecure home environment. TJ Warren: Yes, the power of repetitive routines creates a biological response in the attitudes and expectations of students. It’s paramount. In essence, we are re-teaching students to feel safe – especially the ones who come from really hard places. Routine reduces the tendency of hyper-vigilance. When students are focused on survival, not learning, those repetitive routines provide them with a way to anticipate a safe learning environment. They begin re-orienting to those routines and expectations before they even come into your classroom. WDP: Can you help us understand the perspective of a young adult who is transitioning out of foster care? TJ Warren: Think about the routines that give you peace of mind in your life and home. Now apply that to young adults who are unraveling because they are losing those places of safety. First, expect some unraveling. Second, if you have access to organizations like ours, connect students with transition organizations at least six months before they age out. Organizations like ours will connect students with a team of mentors to help them safely transition. WDP: The success of students happen when they are able to transition from school into those next areas of growth or support in life. Wraparound services like yours help students make that transition. TJ Warren: Yes, through LifeLaunch, we solely focus on surrounding young adults with supportive mentors and connect them with other services that help with that transition. In Oklahoma, we operate LifeLaunch throughout the state. Anyone can access our website for current trauma-informed research and mentor training. Now It’s Your Turn You can listen to even more great takeaways by listening to the podcast episode! Even as you lead during difficult conditions, what ways can you help connect students in need with mentors or community organizations that may provide them support? You can find out more about resources for assisting young adults transitioning from foster care at https://www.standinthegap.org. Or reach out to TJ Warren by email at tj@sitgm.org. The post PMP234: Connecting Students to Caring Adults with TJ Warren appeared first on Principal Matters.

This week I have the privilege of interviewing Emily Paschall about her new book, Eyes on Culture: Multiply Excellence in Your School. As you know, culture drives the outcomes of your school, and Emily unpacks ways to not only live your own excellence, but to multiply excellence in others. In her book, you will learn: How to use your lived experiences to help someone elseHow to unlock the key to connecting with all kids, even those who seem unreachableHow to build partnerships with families so that they desire to work with youHow to make difficult conversations not so difficultHow to help every student, parent, and colleague achieve excellence…and more! Meet Emily Paschall Emily A. Paschall has served as a teacher, district coach, school administrator, professional learning trainer, and motivational speaker. Currently, she serves as assistant principal at Cedar Hill Elementary in Ardmore, Alabama.A fellow ConnectEdd author, her passions lie in teaching, learning, and serving others. She leads a nation wide group of administrators through supportive social media sites with shared ideas, information, and motivation. She is best known for founding the ElemAPNetwork where she offers various opportunities for administrators to experience a live exchange of best practices and fresh ideas.  Her work is recognized around the world from educators who desire to learn how to create a climate and culture that promotes excellence. Emily’s innovative methods for driving student engagement, promoting academic rigor, and stimulating excitement about school has created a ripple effect in others across the country. Multiplying Your Excellence Listen to the entire episode for even more takeaways! The following is a short summary of the conversation: WDP: Emily, welcome to Principal Matters podcast. Can you fill in the gaps on that intro and tell listeners something they may be surprised to know about you? Emily: I almost didn’t become a teacher. But Mr. Wade, one of my education professors in college was so inspiring, he had me hooked on the decision to become an educator.  WDP: Let’s talk about your new book. What is the overall message you want educators to know in ‘Eyes on Culture: Multiply Excellence in Your School’’? Emily: I have always worked in high poverty schools. I didn’t grow up in that type of environment. I quickly realized that in order to reach my kids, I had to get in the trenches and learn their experiences. As a teacher, math specialist, and administrator, I realized we have to do whatever it takes. Relationships are the foundation of everything we do, but it is not just about relationships. The two most important qualities are compassion and grit. We are rooted in relationships, but we must also be committed to helping them reach learning goals.  WDP: Why is ‘being a champion’ for students so important for education leaders? Emily: Some kids do have a champion, but many don’t have anyone rooting for them at home. How are we going to motivate them to become better? Kids must know we believe in them. One of my favorite ways to champion for kids is by riding the bus with them. With 600 kids in my building, I have to be very intentional about knowing them. Every Friday, I ride a different bus – it’s a great way to know students and bus drivers.  One student, Michael, for instance, was a student who I was only having negative interactions with at school. One Friday morning, I rode Michael’s bus. He was the first rider that morning, and we he saw me, he was stunned. I noticed he lived in a difficult home environment, his shirt was inside out, no one was waiting with him when he got on the bus. I realized I was probably the first person he would talk to that morning.  I invited him to sit by me, and before long he said, “Ms. Paschall. Do you see that red bike over there? That’s mine.” From that moment on, Michael and I had a new connection and I was able help him in ways I never had before. This was a turnaround moment for his learning and entire his school experience. WDP: You also talk about celebrating student success. Why is that important to you – especially as educators manage during a pandemic? Emily: If we celebrate the positives with our students, they are more likely to want to come to school. When I first became an administrator, I realized kids were only coming to my office for negative reasons. So we began recognizing students through positive phone calls home. As a school, we developed a Cub Award. Momentum is the greatest of change agents. By recognizing the positive things kids are doing, we call parents on speaker phone to celebrate what they are doing. For so many parents, it’s a great learning experience for them as well. It’s a wonderful way to connect with students and parents. I love to video those moments to share on social media because it’s so heartfelt to see students share with parents something great they have been doing. WDP: How have you been able to held onto culture even during a pandemic? Emily: When you’re faced with tough circumstances, it doesn’t make or break your culture, it reveals your culture. Last March when we had to shut down, we had to decide how we could stay connected to relationships with our students. I have always been a fan of home visits. Our teachers decided to do home visits – from the porch or yard – and our teachers did more than 1,000 home visits from March to May – reading them books or bringing them surprises. When we started back in the fall, we were so discouraged about not having parent nights. So, we decided to home visits again to meet them. The majority of staff met their kids this way. They knew our kids circumstances and knew all their parents before school ever began. December was the hardest month this year because of quarantines. We didn’t want to close, but it has been very hard as we’ve tried to cover staff. I’m so proud of our school, though, that we had the highest percentage of our students back in our building this year. More than 90% of our students have been able to return to in-person learning. Let’s Wrap This Up Emily’s book is packed full of ideas like the ones she has shared in the interview and more! One of the lessons Emily conveys in her book is that one of the most powerful things you can do is carry the banner for your school. It is easy to go silent when you’re discouraged. But that is one of them most dangerous things you can do right now when students need to know we want them in our buildings. Are you portraying your school in a way that makes people want to be a part of it? Now It’s Your Turn It is a responsibility and a privilege to tell the story of your school. How are you capturing the moments of excellence happening with your students and teachers – even during a pandemic? How can you share those ideas out and ‘carry the banner’ for your school? Connect with Emily To book future speaking engagements, contact her at EmilyAPaschall@gmail com. You can also connect with her on Twitter, Instagram and Voxer via @EmilyAPaschall. The post PMP233: Multiplying Excellence in Your School with Emily Paschall appeared first on Principal Matters.