Recent Blog Posts

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.

The class of 2030

Great look at what is necessary to support our learners entering school today. Again, the McKinsey report never fails to help education tell its truth.

My thoughts on my 37th trip around the sun

I am a couple of days late on my birthday gift to myself (a long former email, now social media post) that at least some of you seem to read and enjoy based on the several,  delicate reminders I received reminding me it was late this year. New rule for myself this year . . . each musing is limited to at most a general topic and no more than three sentences or three bullet points to support my thought.… Read More »My thoughts on my 37th trip around the sun

Politically Speaking . . .

As a school superintendent, politics are a scary subject. At least they are for me. I am very measured in how I speak about anything political that does not involve my school or students directly. I advocate with my local legislators on behalf of my district and I openly support them because they have been wonderful to my district – but that is as far as it goes. I simply fear alienating a decent percentage of my stakeholders regardless of… Read More »Politically Speaking . . .

Do we really want self-advocacy?

I had a meeting with a teacher and a union representative earlier this week over a scheduling issue. The issue was relatively complex in that by the letter of the contract we had probably not done anything wrong, but we had in my opinion we had unwittingly violated the spirit of the agreement. This was not intentional or malicious – but it was an issue or at minimum an oversight. And it was the fault of administration. I explained this… Read More »Do we really want self-advocacy?

Counseling Conundrum

Counseling Conundrum Some of the most valuable hours I spent in my entire collegiate experience was sitting and talking to a counselor. A member of our fraternity had attempted to harm himself and we were given a “recommendation” that everyone should debrief with one of the mental health counselors on campus. I was skeptical to say the least, but attempting to lead by example as I knew I had several Brothers that were struggling I made an appointment. As I… Read More »Counseling Conundrum

Not ready for summer to end?

Are you #FullyCharged? For educators, the summer is a lot of things. It is a time to grow, reflect, and learn. It is also, more importantly, a time to relax, re-connect with family and friends, get fit, and enjoy some down time. One of the things I have learned recently is back-to-school time is not for everyone. I mean this sincerely. Just because I already have excited butterflies in my stomach and it is not August 1st yet makes me no… Read More »Not ready for summer to end?

The Increasing Need of Social Emotional Supports in Schools and the Changing Face of Therapy

  I recently wrote a book with Julie Adams and Rosa Isiah titled #FullyCharged. This book explored the connection between Maslow needs and Bloom demands and how we typically approach these in schools. Writing this book was an incredible experience for me. It helped me to put science to my intuition through the research portion and help to extend me as a professional as I had the unique opportunity to process through my ideas next to two absolutely rock-star educators… Read More »The Increasing Need of Social Emotional Supports in Schools and the Changing Face of Therapy