As a high school principal, I often started my day with the best of intentions—to be in classrooms, connect with students, and focus on the work that mattered most. But before I knew it, my day would get hijacked. A staff member would drop by my office with an “urgent” issue. An email thread would […]
As a high school principal, my days often began with ambitious plans: visiting classrooms, engaging with teachers, and pushing forward the big-picture goals for our school. But all too often, conflicts derailed those intentions. Whether it was mediating a disagreement between staff members, addressing a parent’s concerns, or resolving a student issue, I found myself […]
As a high school principal, I remember many sleepless nights during the holiday season. The stress of trying to balance staff morale, student behavior, and community needs often felt overwhelming. I worried about everything—how to support staff stretched thin by illness, how to keep students focused when their energy was through the roof, and how […]
In the work I do today, I am frequently on zoom with or in person with school leaders. The most common challenge that school leaders seem to face today, as I see it, is not being intentional with their time. We all have goals and aspirations in our role, but often those get set aside […]
I spent the week at the Association for Middle Level Educators (AMLE) conference in Nashville. I had the opportunity to speak to about 250 school and district level leaders sharing my insights on clarity and intentionality in leadership. Upon the conclusion of my session, about 10-12 people hung around wanting to talk more with me. […]
As is true in most weeks, I had several conversations this week with leaders who are interested in working with me through either coaching or my leadership speaking and training. In each case, a consistent theme came through…the need for clarity in their day to day work. Leaders can easily get pulled off the tracks […]
Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to work with a handful of school leaders. They talked with me a lot, asking questions as well, about how to best communicate with staff. If I asked, most school staff groups would tell me they would love to see better communication from their leaders. It doesn’t mean […]
October is National Principals Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the hard work and dedication of school principals across the country. The role of a principal is often underappreciated, yet it is one of the most critical in shaping the future of our schools, students, and communities. Every day, principals juggle so many different […]
One of my best friends is a district-level leader. He called the other day to share a situation that had happened on one of their campuses. Even the best leaders get hit occasionally with challenging situations, have to have hard conversations, and might need to do some damage control. While I won’t share his situation, […]
As a school leader, you know how fast your day can slip away. You walk into the office with a clear plan, ready to focus on the tasks that really matter—like instructional leadership or building school culture—but by the end of the day, you haven’t touched any of it. Sound familiar? What’s happening? It’s simple: […]
