MONDAY MATTERS – Warming Your Hands and Learning Lessons
Feb 24, 2025
Show notes
By William D. Parker
When we lived in the basement, Daddy would wake up long before the rest of us. He would stir the remaining coals in the wood stove, adding fresh sticks to the barrel-sized belly and stoking it until the new wood caught fire. As we crawled out of our beds, we would make our way straight to the kitchen, circling around the wood stove as if it were a wise sage, radiating warmth and illuminating our little hands and souls.
Momma would move about the kitchen, making a skillet of eggs or a pan of oatmeal—whatever was on hand. On some winter days, she’d fry strips of salt pork. It was so salty that just a few bites were enough. Some old-timers would boil their salted meat to temper the flavor.
My oldest brother, Harvey, loved sitting in an old red rocking chair. Its springs creaked as he rocked, the feet of the chair bouncing up and down with increasing velocity. One day, curious as a five-year-old often is, I crawled underneath the chair and watched the wooden legs clamp up and down in rhythm with his rocking. Clamp, clamp, clamp.
An idea struck me: if I timed it right, I could slip my fingers under the legs and pull them away just before the chair came down. For a few tries, I succeeded, but by the fifth or sixth attempt, my luck ran out.
That day, I learned a hard lesson about motion, velocity, and friction—forces too unpredictable for my small fingers.
I never made the same mistake with the wood stove. Years earlier, as a toddler just learning to walk, I had backed into the kitchen oven while Momma was baking. The burn on my backside taught me a valuable lesson: fire burns. I never forgot it, especially when stoking the wood stove or adding sticks to its flames.
One of my earliest chores was splitting wood and hauling it inside with my small red wagon. Even as a boy, I learned to handle an axe and sledgehammer. Over time, splitting wood became a lesson in patience and meditation. Perhaps that’s why I still find so much pleasure in burning real logs in the fireplace or sitting by a backyard firepit, contemplating the mesmerizing colors of the flames.
We often learn life’s hardest lessons through experience. This thought came to me this morning during a video meeting with school leaders. We discussed how to navigate the challenges of leadership—how to steer the ship without crashing into obstacles. I shared a story about my friend Dave Sandowich, a 21-year school principal and an experienced sailor. He often draws parallels between sailing and leadership.
Dave once said, “Sailing is a lot like leadership. Your destination might lie directly upwind, but a sailboat can’t sail straight into the wind. Instead, you work your way there by angling off the wind, zigzagging toward your goal. It’s more effort and takes longer, but if you stay the course, apply your knowledge, and adjust based on feedback from your instruments and instincts, you’ll get there.”
When I asked the leaders how they face difficulties without creating more damage, here were some of their responses:
Pause and think before you speak.
Identify what’s really bothering you before addressing it.
Confront the reality, not the person, and consider your role in the situation.
One leader compared it to snow skiing: “When I try to control every variable, I fall more. But when I go with the natural forces instead of fighting them, I move forward. Each experience builds understanding for the next time.”
So, what do wood stoves and uncertainties have in common? Each day, we step into settings—some as comforting as a warm room, others as daunting as an angry parent. Each situation offers a lesson. Sometimes, the lesson is as simple as avoiding a hot stove: pause and seek understanding before responding. Other times, it’s about resistance. Do you fight against it like punching the wind, or do you adjust your sails, using those forces to propel you forward?
For example, when I asked these same leaders about clarifying their intentions for staff or students, they shared:
“I should explain why I’m spending more time in classrooms instead of just showing up.”
“I want to clarify new responsibilities for staff instead of assuming they’ll figure it out.”
“I need my teachers to see that we’re collectively responsible for all students, not just those on their rosters.”
“I want to understand my team’s goals so I can help them while aligning with our collective goals.”
You probably won’t place your hand on a hot stove or stick your fingers under a rocking chair today. But will you face resistance in pursuing your goals? Likely. Even this week, as I set goals for my work with Principal Matters, I found myself focusing too much on tasks. Tasks matter, but I paused to reflect on the values I want to cultivate:
Actively listening and improving as a consultant.
Creating collaborative spaces for problem-solving.
Encouraging reflection, perspective, and action.
Growing deeply as a person while equipping others to do the same.
No matter the resistance, these intentions guide me as I adjust my sails for the journey ahead.
Now It’s Your Turn
How are you approaching today’s challenges with intentionality? How can you use resistance to propel you forward instead of holding you back? What ideas or goals can you clarify for those you serve to ensure a clearer path ahead?
PMP436: Achieving Remarkable Outcomes with Dr. Amanda Austin
Feb 19, 2025
Show notes
A Quick Note to Listeners:
—- The Question of the Week is supported by Summer Pops Math Workbooks.
Principals, when students practice math over the summer, math scores go up. What’s your summer math plan this year? A great way to start is by ordering FREE summer workbook samples at Summer Pops Workbooks.com. —-
Before this week’s interview, Jen Schwanke and Will Parker answer a listener question with a five minute response.
The question is: What are some of the successful methods for building actionable, sustainable systems regarding behavior and academics?
Listen in to hear their response and thank you for doing what matters!
Dr. Amanda Austin is the Director of the Iberville Math, Science, and Arts (MSA) Academy East in St. Gabriel, part of East Iberville High School’s magnet program. With 15 years of experience in STEAM education across elementary, middle, and high school levels, Dr. Austin brings a wealth of expertise to her role. She holds a Bachelor’s in Sociology from LSU, a Master of Arts in Teaching from Louisiana College, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Lamar University.
A key achievement was reopening North Iberville High School after it was closed for over a decade, transforming it into a thriving STEM-focused institution. Dr. Austin, a recent participant in the Louisiana Superintendent’s Academy and ASCD’s Champion in Education cohort, is dedicated to ensuring all students reach their potential through teamwork and strong leadership. She has also been recognized as the 2025 Louisiana State Principal of the Year.
Inspiration for Current Work:
When Dr. Austin was in college, she originally planned to become a lawyer. Her mother was an educator for 40 years, and Dr. Austin says that education is in her blood. After participating in student teaching, Dr. Austin realized that teaching is her calling. She went on to teach for three years in her hometown. Throughout her career, Dr. Austin has sought out challenges and this has impacted her role at her current school; through her leadership her school has grown over 60 new students at her school this semester. Reflecting on what she is most proud of in her work, she says that she is most proud of the impact and the relationships she’s had as an educator.
Experience in Leadership:
While considering what takeaways she would want listeners to know from her own leadership experience, Dr. Austin emphasizes the importance of relying on others for support. Other leaders, she says, will often have the same goal in mind as you: to serve the school and help it thrive. Leaning on those around you will further those goals more so than working on your goals alone. Another takeaway that Dr. Austin emphasizes is the importance of the relationship between Principal and AP. She talks about how she wants her relationship with her AP to always be one of coaching, for them to be able to challenge her and think like her.
Advice for New Leaders:
Considering advice that she would give to a new or aspiring leader, Dr. Austin reiterates the importance of teamwork. She warns listeners that they will burn out very quickly if they do not have a team to rely on. Another point she emphasizes is the importance of keeping the main thing the main thing. Student achievement should be the first and foremost area of focus for all school leaders, as ultimately it is what teachers and school leaders alike are there for.
Staying Motivated:
Finally, Dr. Austin has some advice for veteran leaders: Keep your flame lit. Sometimes this means that you have to change up your circle, so that the mindset of others does not cloud your passion. She reminds listeners that if they want to make positive change, they need to be around other people who think similarly. A skill that Dr. Austin has honed is her ability to find the silver lining to try to change people’s perspectives as a method of helping them keep their flame lit. Additionally, Dr. Austin reminds leaders of the importance of continuing to learn from and ask questions of other veteran leaders. Utilizing their knowledge is imperative in helping move forward in one’s leadership journey. Lastly, Dr. Austin reminds leaders of the importance of their time.
MONDAY MATTERS with Jen Schwanke and Will Parker – AI in Schools
Feb 17, 2025
Show notes
For this week’s Monday Matters topic, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke talk about AI in schools. While neither of them are experts on the subject, they acknowledge that AI is something that impacts everyone in the education world. Some of the points they address in this conversation are:
AI for educators
AI for students
The rapid development of AI
Ways that using AI can help save time
Tension between not wanting to use it and refusing to participate in it vs. wild abandonment
The dangers of using tools that are created in a vastly unregulated environment
The importance of using a tool that isn’t new or a stand out
Impacts of AI on creatives and on the environment
School Policies regarding AI
Now It’s Your Turn:
What are some ways that your school has been impacted by AI? Are there benefits or drawbacks to using AI in school that Will and Jen did not cover in their conversation? Let us know in the comments or write in to will@williamdparker.com to let us know your thoughts!
Resources:
Check out this resource from Jethro Jones on Best AI Tools for Educators:
ENCORE FRIDAY – PMP358: Inspired to Be Faithful with Timothy Alexander
Feb 14, 2025
Show notes
It’s Friday and that means it’s time for another encore episode! This week’s episode from the archives is PMP358, an interview with my friend Timothy Alexander. Timothy’s story is moving and inspirational. Give this episode a listen or check out the original blog post from 2023 to learn more about him!
PMP435: Empowering Teen Learners with Dr. Wilnic Gideon
Feb 12, 2025
Show notes
A Quick Note to Listeners:
—- The Question of the Week is supported by Summer Pops Math Workbooks.
Principals, when students practice math over the summer, math scores go up. What’s your summer math plan this year? A great way to start is by ordering FREE summer workbook samples at Summer Pops Workbooks.com. —-
Before this week’s interview, Jen Schwanke and Will Parker answer a listener question with a five minute response.
The question is: There is that meme, “I just sat through another meeting that could’ve been an email.” What is the value of meetings? How can principals determine what content needs to be a meeting and what could be an email? What happens when people don’t read the emails?
Listen in to hear their response and thank you for doing what matters!
Dr. Wilnic Gideon is a dedicated educator, author, and advocate committed to empowering teenagers and their families. With over a decade of experience as a middle school principal, assistant principal, and dean in Washington and Florida, Wilnic has honed his expertise in adolescent development. He is the author of two impactful books: Mindful Learning: Unlocking the Gifts of the Teenage Brain and Raising Ready Teens: 21 Essential Milestones for Learning and Life. Drawing on his academic research and real-world leadership experience, Wilnic provides practical strategies to support teens’ cognitive, emotional, and social growth, leaving a lasting positive impact on the communities he serves. Wilnic holds both a doctorate in education and a masters degree in educational leadership, as well as an MBA. Something listeners may be surprised to learn about him is that he has a passion for writing music. This passion is useful to both help him keep his mind sharp and to help him connect with students and their families.
Utilizing Adolescent Brain Science:
Dr. Gideon has done a considerable amount of research on the brain science of teens, which has influenced his practice as an education leader. One of his key takeaways from this research is that relationships are at the core of the development of adolescent students. When helping give kids a safe learning environment, Wilnic and his team focus on socio-emotional learning. They focus on teaching students how to behave, how to grow socially, and how to learn from failure, to name a few focus areas. Wilnic emphasizes that educators are not just helping kids grow as students; they are helping them grow as people.
Raising Ready Teens:
One of the motivating factors for writing Raising Ready Teens: 21 Essential Milestones for Learning and Life was the birth of Dr. Gideon’s own son. He states that he realized that there is a lot of information available to parents regarding the milestones that infants and young children go through, whereas there is not as much information available to parents about milestones for adolescents. Therefore, readers can expect a roadmap that will help them navigate growth for teens through each development milestone.
Maslow’s Hierarchy and Your Teen’s Journey:
Maslow’s hierarchy is a framework that helps us understand how human motivation works. The central idea is that people must have their basic needs met before they can thrive and flourish. For teens, meeting these needs is a balancing act. When teens feel emotionally safe at home and at school, they are more likely to take healthy risks. Dr. Gideon spends a lot of time addressing these needs and working with families to help them understand how to navigate all the changes that teens face during this time in their lives.
Discovery of His Own Practices:
Looking back at what he learned while writing this book, Dr. Gideon states that he learned a lot about his own practices and biases. One thing he noticed about himself, parents, and other educators is that they all have the tendency to focus on outcomes over process when it comes to students. This can lead to missed opportunities to teach students how to navigate failure and uncertainty. Another thing Wilnic noticed about himself and other educators is that they have the tendency to focus on students who are behind academically while neglecting those who are doing well. Each student needs their own individualized level of support.
Parting Words of Advice:
When considering his parting words of advice to Principal Matters listeners, Dr. Gideon tells listeners the following:
Listen more than you speak
Prioritize relationships over results
Don’t be afraid of failure
Creating a 90 day plan to help you truly get to the needs of your school
MONDAY MATTERS – What is your one word for 2025?
Feb 10, 2025
Show notes
In this week’s Monday Matters, Will Parker and Jen Schwanke talk about their word for 2025.
Upcoming Events
If you’re going to be in St George, Utah, February 12-14, 2025, let Jen know as she’s speaking at the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals.
Word for 2025:
Jen’s word for 2025 is equanimity – defined as mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.
She says that she has made a giant sticker to put above the door in her office to help her remember her word and stay committed to it all year.
Will’s word for 2025 is values – specifically work values. He wants to make sure that his values are what translate into his work in 2025.
Listen in to hear the whole conversation and thank you for doing what matters!
ENCORE FRIDAY – PMP202: Transforming School Cultures with Dr. Anthony Muhammad
Feb 07, 2025
Show notes
It’s Friday and that means it is time for an encore episode! This week’s encore episode is on from 2020, featuring Dr. Anthony Muhammad. Check out the original post here, or listen to the episode wherever you get your podcasts! This episode is full of great advice for leaders and is as relevant today as it was 5 years ago. Thanks for listening in and thank you for doing what matters!
PMP434: Power Engage with Carlos Johnson
Feb 05, 2025
Show notes
A Quick Note to Listeners:
—- The Question of the Week is supported by Summer Pops Math Workbooks.
Principals, when students practice math over the summer, math scores go up. What’s your summer math plan this year? A great way to start is by ordering FREE summer workbook samples at Summer Pops Workbooks.com. —-
Before this week’s interview, Jen Schwanke and Will Parker answered a question in a five minute response.
The question is: What are your thoughts on icebreakers at staff meetings?
Listen in for our response and thank you for doing what matters!
Meet Carlos Johnson
Carlos Johnson, also known as Coach Carlos, is a professional speaker, trainer, author, and educator with a proven track record in transforming school culture. He and his team have successfully turned around three public schools and one private Christian academy, using research-driven strategies that boost parental engagement, enrollment, and student retention nationwide.
His core belief is that “a highly engaged school culture is the mother of high performance,” which led him to develop the I.M.A.G.E. Culture Transformation System. This system, offered both online and onsite, trains thousands of parents, students, and educators annually on the psychology of engagement.
In 2015, as Principal of the Male Leadership Academy, he doubled enrollment, raised staff pay, improved school culture, and enhanced student performance. In response to the school-to-prison pipeline crisis, he also created Future Man Success Prep, a leadership and behavior course for boys. Coach Carlos’s passion for transforming institutions is clear in every training and speech he delivers.
Carlos notes that his work is not a labor of love, but a labor of pain. He noticed that there were some things missing in his education journey, and wanted to find a way to fill in those gaps. His book is a blend of personal history, recent research, and practical application inside schools.
The Domino Effect:
Carlos says that we often ask kids, parents, teachers, and school leaders to move the world, without giving them the tools to do so. He has found that teachers and school leaders want one thing that will make everything else easier or unnecessary. That one thing is what Carlos calls a domino. Dominoes, he explains, use momentum to make big changes; small dominoes can knock over another domino 1.5x its size. Like dominoes, finding small, consistent ways to make change in schools everyday is what will eventually lead to big changes. So, rather than asking kids, parents, teachers, and school leaders to move the world, we should be asking them to find their domino, their daily small change that will lead to a monumental change.
Having a Coach Mindset:
When explaining why having a coach mindset is such an important concept for engaging learners, Coach Carlos reflected on his experience as a student. He recalled how, in his school experience, it was the coaches who had the greatest influence on school culture. In his words, he says that, “Coaches would walk down the hall and students would get it together.” When Coach Carlos realized this, he decided he wanted to find qualities that coaches have that teachers could implement in the classroom. Teachers who have a coach mindset, Carlos says, often have the ability to capture the heart of students and believe in their competency. Teachers who have a coach mindset also have compassionate consequences. Having a healthy blend of compassion and consequences will lead a child to go to battle for you because they know you have your best interests at heart. In classrooms like these, there is often a great sense of community.
Finding your “High Why”:
Carlos emphasizes the importance of finding a “high why” for both educators and students in his book. He talks about how stress levels are high in just about every profession. Stress is often painted in a negative light, but Carlos says that stress doesn’t always have to be a bad thing. When it comes to having stress about oneself (“you stress”), that stress can be helpful in staying motivated. Finding the right amount of “you stress” allows individuals to find their “high why”. Having that “high why” means that students and teachers have just the right amount of stress to keep themselves motivated; everyone will be walking around their school with a sense of purpose.
Reaching and Teaching Boys:
One of the factors that motivated Carlos to start teaching boys was when he read a report on how bad men and boys were doing across the globe. Right after he read the report, Carlos received an offer to lead a male leadership academy, and he got to work creating a culture of performance and expectation that worked. Throughout his work at the academy, he realized some key processes that will engage male students in the classroom. He developed an approach called the MAC attack to engage male students:
Movement
Activity
Competition
Carlos states that using a variation of those three in the classroom will engage male students on another level. In order to effectively implement the MAC attack in the classroom, teachers need to be a classroom coach so that they do not lose control of their classrooms. Coach Carlos also notes that he encourages everyone to think about learning from the perspective of the learner, and that will make it easier to reach and engage male students.
Finally, Carlos emphasizes the importance of relationship building for educators, and encourages them to get to know kids, where they come from, and what they’re thinking. He says, “Relationship building is what we do; education comes out of it.”
You can stay connected with Carlos at CarlosJohnson.org or at imageofsuccess.com.
MONDAY MATTERS – Time Spent and 5 Areas of Trust
Feb 03, 2025
Show notes
In this week’s episode of Monday Matters, Will and Jen talk about time spent and 5 areas of trust.
Upcoming Events:
If you’re going to be in St George, Utah, February 12-14, 2025, let Jen know as she’s speaking at the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals.
Will has some upcoming PD in Columbus, Ohio. He and Jen note that every time he goes to Ohio, they try to meet up, but those plans usually fall through.
Time Spent Equals Relationships Built, by William D. Parker
This week I was coaching a district leader who is still relatively new in his position. We were talking about the difficulty of people questioning his credibility and his desire for people to trust his intentions when introducing new ideas or leading change.
We also discussed the reality that some areas of performance were already high, while other areas needed improvement.
How could he continue to push for growth, which was often painful, while also building trust?
One resource I referenced was Stephen M.R. Covey’s book The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything. In the book, Covey discusses how the deeper trust is among team members, the more speed, efficiency, and lower costs are involved in reaching outcomes.
Think about someone with whom you have high trust. How quickly can you accomplish tasks? How much more easily can reach a consensus? How effective is your collaboration, brainstorming, or conflict resolution?
Now think of someone with whom you have low trust. How much harder is it to accomplish tasks? How much more difficult is it to reach a consensus? How less effective is your collaboration, brainstorming, or conflict resolution?
Covey also invites readers to examine 5 areas of trust in their work or organization:
Self-Trust – examine your integrity, intent, capabilities, and results
Relational Trust – consider who you are building dividends of trust among team members
Organizational Trust – analyze how your systems, policies, and procedures support trust
Market Trust – evaluate how others see your school or organization as a place they are willing to invest their time and resources
Societal Trust – reflect on the difference or impact that is being made in the wider community because of your school or organization
Each of these areas can be examined to find ways we can build stronger trust for more effective outcomes.
Trust is not built, however, in a vacuum or in isolation. When you see areas of trust that are stretched, strained or threatened, however, you have a choice. You can step into those moments with an awareness that proximity helps to rebuild trust. Or you distance yourself because the strain is too uncomfortable.
Let’s be real. There are times in any organization or team where some members behave in ways that are not trustworthy. When this happens, they need to be called back to the norms and values we all say are important. If, however, they are unwilling to behave in a trustworthy manner, it is important that they stay uncomfortable until they improve or decide to go elsewhere.
Trust is built over time, and it would take another post to talk about ways to rebuild broken trust or establish it in the first place. However, the foundation of leading change begins with trust.
Reflections:
What are some intentional ways you are scheduling time with others in order to build more trust?
How is visibility with students, teachers, and community members an important way to build trust?
What may you need to say ‘no’ to in the short term in order to ‘yes’ to actions that will build trust in the long term?
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
Stay Connected
