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.

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 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,

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 Carolina* Eric Hoops, Chanute Elementary School, Chanute, Kansas* Kimberly Miles, East Gresham Elementary, Gresham, Oregon* Cynthia 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 administrators* Building master schedules to bridge the gaps* Identifying priorities for actions steps* Re-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.

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?

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?

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 ...

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.

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

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: * Sleep* Meditation* Reading* Eating Well* Exercise* Gratitude 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.

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.

“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.

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 professor* Coaching* Blogging* Podcasting* Presenting at workshops* Mentoring 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!

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.

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.

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,