PJ Caposey

Top 10 Books of the Decade, A Personal List

It is the end of a decade which means that Top 10 lists are an absolute must (I guess). So, in thinking of whether or not I had a top ten list in me that would have any value to the collective populous I thought I would share the 10 books that have impacted me the most during the past decade. Now, to be clear, these are not the 10 best books I have read. In fact, there are at… Read More »Top 10 Books of the Decade, A Personal List

Annual Birthday Post

Man, I look forward to writing this each year. As I concluded by 38th year on this planet I wanted to share any thoughts, musings, wisdom or proof of idiocy that have dominated my thoughts over the past 365 days. New rule from last year for myself. . . each musing is limited to at most a general topic and no more than three sentences or three bullet points to support my thought. Also, added some favorite pics this year.… Read More »Annual Birthday Post

Why telling people to ‘re-charge’ is probably stressing them out.

Maybe, just maybe, we need to quit telling each other to re-charge. Listen, I understand the hypocrisy coming from a guy who has written two books on how to be #FullyCharged. And yes, I still boldly believe and support everything in those books, but I think we are in a danger zone. Joe Mullikin (@joemullikin86) prompted me to think about this. He said maybe enough is enough on this topic and then we had a great dialogue processing through this.… Read More »Why telling people to ‘re-charge’ is probably stressing them out.

It is all about relationships

POST ORIGINATED in EdWeek Teacher http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2019/09/classroom_management_is_all_about_relationships.html This may be unpopular. Heavens knows it was unpopular when I would say it at the opening faculty meeting of every year as a principal, but I believe this statement in the depths of my soul.  “The minute I am required to assist you in discipline, classroom management, by default, has failed.” I would clarify that it did not mean that they had failed, but as an administrator, the instant I am involved it is no… Read More »It is all about relationships

Why every superintendent should attend #ASUGSV at least once

A Superintendents #ASUGSV19 experience Late last year (2018) I was asked if I wanted to attend #ASUGSV. I (embarrassingly) had never heard of the event. So, I closed out that email and Google’d the event. The conference website popped up and I saw the list of former and future speakers and rushed back into my email to say I am in if the spot still existed for me. (What other conference can you hear from the likes of Andre Agassi… Read More »Why every superintendent should attend #ASUGSV at least once

Know When You Are Being Used

Leadership is hard. The steadfast desire to create positive change brings forth many behaviors in a leader. Some positive, some negative – but all impact the work environment we are attempting to shape and mold. While it is impossible to know or profile every single leader, it is possible to create generalizations about the behavior of leaders.  Many leaders desire: A level of control or at least influence over their environment or organization To know as must as much as… Read More »Know When You Are Being Used

Fault vs Responsibility

Just because something is not your fault, does not mean it is not your responsibility. This is one of my favorite sayings in leadership. I think it is hard to find a singular statement that helps explain the fundamental responsibilities that define being a human. A good human –at least. I have been pretty conflicted over the viral news story of the weekend. So conflicted that I am compelled to write on something that is political – something I try… Read More »Fault vs Responsibility

Selfish Educators?

I am proud to be an educator. I think that our profession, and in particular teachers, are doing the most important work in the world knowing that they will never maximize their earning potential. Most are doing the work because it is truly their calling and they care tremendously about the students they serve. It feels awesome to type those words. It feels awesome because it is true and I am lucky to call this profession my own. While all… Read More »Selfish Educators?

You were Never Supposed to Fill from Your Cup (Guest post)

GUEST POST FROM DEANA SIMPSON @k5instructcoach Happy New Year!  Those words are full of great meaning for a new starts, dreams to fulfill, moments to hope and plan for, and even doors to pass through to get where we are intended to be.  I should start this blog off by explaining first, the things that fill my cup so you know how I got here. I love time with my family, my friends, my faith, and yes, my profession.  My… Read More »You were Never Supposed to Fill from Your Cup (Guest post)

Don’t make a (typical) New Year’s Resolution, please.

At the end of each December so many of us resort to the annual tradition of reflection and setting ourselves upon a new path by way of a New Year’s Resolution. For many of us in the education community, the traditional process has been slightly disrupted by the #oneword movement inspired by Jon Gordon in which we are challenged to focus on a singular word in the upcoming year. The thought being a singular focus would help with fidelity and… Read More »Don’t make a (typical) New Year’s Resolution, please.