Summary: <br> Starting a new school year is like preparing for a marathon. <br> <br> <br> <br> Photo by Nadine Shaabana – Creative Commons No known copyright restrictions https://unsplash.com/@nadineshaabana?utm_source=haikudeck&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit<br> <br> <br> <br> The journey begins with training long before the race begins. And once the race starts, you need a lot of endurance for the road ahead. School leadership is the same. As you enter summer, the ways you “condition” in the weeks ahead may help set the pace for the year ahead.<br> <br> <br> <br> A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by a listener, D.J. Klein, from Jackson, Mississippi. He had just accepted his first position as an Assistant Principal and emailed me the following (that I’m sharing with permission): <br> <br> <br> <br> May 20, 2020: Good evening Mr. Parker, I hope all is well. I started listening to your podcast about a year ago and just wanted to say thank you for all of your hard work and insight. I wanted to reach out to you to ask your advice. I am about to start my first full time administrative role as an assistant principal at a local high school. I was wondering if you have any resources or tips for my first year? I have started Jen Schwanke’s book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Principal-Strategies-Solutions-School-Leaders/dp/1416622217" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" title="https://www.amazon.com/Principal-Strategies-Solutions-School-Leaders/dp/1416622217">“You’re the Principal [Now What?]</a>…,” and it has been great so far. Thank you in advance!<br> <br> <br> <br> When I reached back to D.J. to share ideas, I asked him if I could record our conversation to share with other potentially new administrators. For the next 35 minutes, we talked through several ideas that may be helpful for you or someone you know who is stepping into his or her first year as an assistant principal:<br> <br> <br> <br> Book recommendations<br> <br> <br> <br> First I shared a few book suggestions. Although I haven’t read the newest book by Principal Kafele, I’m hearing great things about it. <a href="http://www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/Overview/The-Assistant-Principal-50.aspx">The Assistant Principal 50: Critical Questions for Meaningful Leadership and Professional Growth</a> by Baruti K. Kafele is a popular read among many new assistant principals I follow online. And based on the feedback I’m hearing, you should also check out his free weekly virtual meetings discussing the book.<br> <br> <br> <br> I also sent D.J. a complimentary copy of my book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Principal-Matters-Updated-Expanded-Motivation/dp/154540058X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Principal+Matters+%28Updated+%26+Expanded%29%3A+The+Motivation%2C+Action%2C+Courage+and+Teamwork+Needed+for+School+Leaders&qid=1590089431&s=books&sr=1-1">Principal Matters (Updated & Expanded): The Motivation, Action, Courage and Teamwork Needed for School Leaders</a> 2nd Edition by William D. Parker, with new school leaders. Although I cannot give it away to everyone, I like sharing it with many of the principals I coach. I began this book as I was finishing my ninth year as an assistant principal and was stepping into my first year as a high school principal. It’s a practical reflection on the meaning behind leadership plus practical how-to lessons.<br> <br> <br> <br> In addition, here are two non-education reads that may help you re-think approaches to organizational leadership:<br> <br> <br> <br> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others-ebook/dp/B0058DRUV6">Good to Great : Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t</a> by James C. Collins is a study of the common traits among highly successful leaders – what they focused to lead successful organization and what...
