Transformative Principal

Latest Episodes:

Blatantly Honest with Makaila Nichols Transformative Principal 372 Dec 23, 2020

Show notes

At 22, Makaila Nichols is a model, speaker and best-selling author (at age 18) of “Blatantly Honest: Normal Teen, Abnormal Life.” In her book, she shares her personal struggles with issues such as: bullying, body image, sexual assault, peer pressure and more. Makaila was bullied unmercifully throughout her adolescence and even today as a recent college grad (University of Central Florida). Makaila found that through writing she was able to cope with the struggles she was enduring.

The difference between being bullied and just being mean
series of repeated behaviors.
Why writing was helpful.
How to overcome the challenges
Figuring out who you are is the most important part
Moon mission
Open up to your parents, because they love you.
it’s scary to ask for help, but it is worth it.
Moon Shots: Operation Inspiration
Blatantly honest foundation.
Buddies don’t bully and everyone is beautiful.
How to persevere and have resilience?
We’re not the result of what happens to us.

Sponsors TeachFX

Innovative school leaders across the country have started tracking online student participation using TeachFX because it’s one of the most powerful ways to improve student outcomes during COVID — especially for English Learners and students of color. Learn more about TeachFX and get a special offer at TeachFX.com

John Catt

Today’s Transformative Principal sponsor, John Catt Educational, amplifies world-class voices on timeless topics, with a list of authors recognized globally for their fresh perspectives and proven strategies to drive success in modern schools and classrooms.

John Catt’s mission is to support high-quality teaching and learning by ensuring every educator has access to professional development materials that are research-based, practical, and focused on the key topics proven essential in today’s and tomorrow’s schools.

Learn more about professional development publications that are easy to implement for your entire faculty, and are both quickly digestible and rigorous, by visiting https://us.johncattbookshop.com/. Learn more about some of the newest titles:

John Catt is also proud publisher of the new book from Transformative Principal host Jethro Jones: SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for students, teachers, parents – and themselves Visit this page to learn more about bulk orders and how to bring John Catt’s research-based materials to your school: https://us.johncattbookshop.com/pages/agents-and-distributors

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids with Maureen OShaughnessy Transformative Principal 371 Dec 19, 2020

Show notes

Maureen O’Shaughnessy, EdD, is a career school innovator with over 30 years of transforming learning in schools to better serve all students. She is the founding director of Leadership Preparatory Academy, a nonprofit progressive micro-school in Washington State. With a master’s degree in educational administration and a doctorate degree in educational leadership, she has an extensive understanding of the components needed to transform the education system. Her book, Creating Micro-Schools for Colorful Mismatched Kids: A Step-by-Step Process that Empowers Frustrated Parents to Innovate Education, includes a step-by-step process for how to start a micro-school of your own. She also has a podcast called Education Revolution.

Always worked to find new ways of supporting kids.
Overseas work in Kuwait and Ecuador.
A school that could meet each student where they are.
Independent school with sliding scale tuition.
Use alternative learning laws.
If you know something, we move you on.
Competency based.
Geared towards students thriving.
Don’t have incentives to change it.
We have to have a reason to make changes.
The system was more important than the human.
We’re part of the inhumane system.
We need to examine our hearts, and what am I going to do to buck the system?
We need to gently examine ourselves.
It’s hard and uncomfortable.
Agency is everything for teachers and students.
When we let people go with their passions, they work so much harder!
Let go of control.
Let the trailblazers lead the way.
Sometimes kids learn so much more from seeing their teachers fail.

19:25 ad break

Microschool is just a small school. Could be like your school.
The local school district
Many choice schools within the district.
There’s a need and a desire for specific schools.
Many schools have a school within a school.
We have this sense of entitlement that they have to get it all done in my class.
Kids can do an 1/8 of a credit.
If we can look at other ways for finding success.
Start looking at the teachers and rethink how we get credit.
Start with those that get it.
How to protect teachers who are sticking their heads above the rest.
Support those teachers and build support around them.
When we highlight the problem, we offer a solution.
Parents are a valued stakeholder.
Have clearly delineated roles for who is doing what!
Listen and think, how can we serve this population?
Tap into that passion!
How to be a transformative principal? Put reflection and personal growth in your calendar.

Sponsors TeachFX

John Catt

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL.

Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Curriculum Audits with Trevor Goertzen Transformative Principal 370 Dec 15, 2020

Show notes

Trevor Goertzen –15th year in education Building Principal at Spring Hill Middle School, Spring Hill, Kansas –5yrs Teacher & Instructional Coach Blue Valley School, Overland Park, Kansas –10yrs National Board Certified Teacher

Kansas Podcast - KPA Listen Up!
Communication director of Kansas Principal Association.
Teachers in emergency learning environment.
Didn’t have a way to ensure learning was taking place.
You asked, we answered session in the summer focusing on best practices for learning in a pandemic.
August planning to support good remote learning.
Extra 12 days of professional development. And COVID precautions.
High Yielding Remote practices.
Prioritizing content standards
Integrating past content. Flashback flash forward.
What we didn’t want to do is front load all the work for the kids. Just in time learning.
Technology training and professional training
It’s not the way people thought it was going to be done.
Specific questions to help teachers articulate the challenges they were facing.
What support can we provide?
How to help teachers articulate their feelings.
Gave questions a few days in advance to help them be prepared.
Met with 20 teachers over the course of a week.
Worried about specific kids.
It’s really hard to support kids that are around. Kids aren’t retaining it as well as they could.
Got leadership together and asked what makes sense going forward?
Allowed them time to talk about kids.
Go slow to go fast.
Pivoted this week to prioritize what teachers were doing.
Give them time to talk with each other.
The things you would have done, you’re not even thinking about right now.
I just miss kids talking.
Prioritize their standards.
Make it a culture week.
Giving people time to be honest and talk.
We’ve got to find a way to create opportunities for people to have fun with each other.
How to be a transformative principal? Reach out to a colleague that you haven’t spoken to in a while and connect with them.

Sponsors TeachFX

John Catt

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL.

Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Build Relationships Around Shared Beliefs with Tom Mahoney Transformative Principal 369 Dec 12, 2020

Show notes

Tom Mahoney currently serves as the Superintendent of Oregon Community Unit School District located in Northern Illinois. As an educator, Tom has served as a secondary math teacher, coach, building administrator, and Assistant Superintendent. His experiences as a teacher, serving a diverse student population, continue to guide his advocacy for equity and whole child education in his administrative roles.

Lead, Grow, Serve. “I take me with me wherever I go,” he says. “So if I’m not making me better, things aren’t going to get better.”
Stephen Covey - 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Leadership is a great opportunity to help others.
My job on earth is not to find happiness but to serve others and that leads to happiness.
How do we define priorities for the crises we face.
People are constantly reactive.
Constantly in crisis.
First take care of yourself, don’t worry about the “urgent”.
Invite that person out of that place.
Nobody is staying in crisis because they want to be there. They just don’t know how to get out of it.
Acknowledging that if you don’t take care of yourself, nobody else will do it.
Build relationships around shared beliefs.
Are you open to…
Invite, then be ready to solve the problem.
Self-care
The Helper - put the person who always says yes to be part of that.
Disgruntled - things never go well.
I was the only common denominator in every situation
I take me with me wherever I go.
People who feel guilty for saying no.
Help them build boundaries.
I thought interest in topics were innate. Didn’t know you could choose curiosity.
Couldn’t read, couldn’t sit still.
They invested in me, and held me accountable to a higher standard.
I realized that learning was a choice.
Things I was afraid of, I became excited about.
It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.
Self-direction and whole child education.
I don’t weight any four areas higher than others.
What I found was that kids were graduating and they couldn’t survive.
Educate students to be lifelong learners who are productive and responsible citizens.
Nothing is more frightening to me than the child who is good at school.
They can take control of their own learning.
They have all the skill
New staff members: Mission driven, Fail, be responsible for the culture you create.
Created opportunity for teachers to the
how to be a transformative principal? Future self, tomorrow I will… Do something intentionally daily or weekly to make myself as good as I can be.

Sponsors TeachFX

John Catt

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL.

Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Michaela: The Power of Culture with Katharine Birbalsingh Transformative Principal 368 Dec 08, 2020

Show notes

Katharine Birbalsingh is the founder and head of Michaela Community School. She and her staff wrote the book, “Michaela: the Power of Culture” which you can find anywhere books are sold.

Michaela is a different kind of school.
High standards of discipline - silent corridors
Knowledge is our goal in the classroom
Why don’t people do things to get the results - People are critical of just focusing on the test.
Public appreciation during family lunches.
What tests should be like.
Cutting the crap - kids usually learn in pretty much the same way.
We’ve assumed that the differences of the subject also apply to the differences of the students.
Personalized learning is where we disagree.
Teachers don’t spend all their time chasing naughty behavior.
Teachers aren’t inventing what they teach, they’re sharing and pulling them.
How to plan ahead, making sure people have time to do that.
No support staff, so there are fewer staff
Turn down teachers for doing things for five kids.
Personalized learning -
The power of saying no.
Most staff want to be heard
I seek out the ideas of staff all the time.
I depend on you to tell me when they
Bribing people to tell me what is wrong.
You’ve got to inspire people and win hearts and minds.
Sorting out behavior - start with the small things. You need consistency throughout your schools.
You’re pretending that kids are learning when they’re not in a progressive classroom.
Small c conservative vs. progressive approaches.
Personal responsibility, duty to community, Dressing well, having a sense of decency about yourself.
Having pride in yourself for the right reasons.
Far too much negativity.
Gratitude.
They see themselves as victims.
Free schools started only in 2010.
I remember what I’m in it for.
How to be a transformative principal? You’ve got to have courage. You have to not mind being disliked. You must never think I want people to be happy.
Do the right thing.

Sponsors TeachFX

John Catt

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL.

Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Behavior as a Lagging Skill with Matthew Portell Transformative Principal 367 Dec 06, 2020

Show notes

Matthew is a principal in Nashville, He was recently selected by FranklinCovey Education as a Leader in Me Community Champion in recognition of his outstanding work Trauma Informed Educators Network Facebook group

“I’m an activator,” he says. “In education, everyone is waiting for someone else to do something different, but if something is inequitable, I’m not going to wait―I’m going to disrupt.”

Impact of social justice and trauma informed practices
Trauma as a whole, but not as an event.
Intergenerational transmission of trauma.
Impact of racial trauma over time and day to day.
ACES and Trauma.
Understanding implicit bias
If we’re not cognizant of it, it can wreak havoc on our impact as an educator.
How do we navigate our roles as educator’s knowing that we possess bias?
Why do we have clip charts in elementary schools?
Unapologetic disruptor
Our schools are designed to reflect the majority of our culture
Behavior is a lagging skill instead of a personal choice.
Change the school to meet the needs of our kids.
When we put norms on kids.
Look at kids as though they are doing the best they can!
Many people have experienced trauma.
Focused on the strengths of what kids come with.
We’ve learned that clip charts in the classroom
When public shaming becomes a norm in the school it can have major damage.
Every kid is a genius.
You’re being sent home because…
How to have the conversation with adults.
Teachers just like kids are doing the best they could.
De-escalating kids.
An escalated adult cannot deescalate an escalated child.
Tap in and tap out strategy.
Happy teacher revolution.
You’re done.
I can’t handle that weight. It’s too much.
how to be a transformative principal? Activator - don’t wait for someone else to do it or try it. If it doesn’t work, it’s ok.

Today’s Sponsors

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL.

Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Soft Skills aren't Learned in the Classroom with Kevin Stinehart Transformative Principal 366 Dec 01, 2020

Show notes

Transformative Principal 366

Social Media: He threw a rock at the building and I thought we were done! Via Kevin Stinehart

Kevin Stinehart is in his ninth year teaching in a South Carolina Title 1 Arts Magnet School. Last month he won Teacher of the Year for his district, and he is currently in the running for South Carolina State Teacher of the year. His school made headlines 2 years ago when it became the first school in South Carolina to create an after-school Play Club under his leadership. Kevin is passionate about treating students as holistic people and recognizing the social and emotional needs of students as paramount to their success inside and outside of the classroom.

Why is play so important?
In order for Social0emotional learning to be effective, it must be done in the moment.
Play club doesn’t cut into classroom - free daycare.
I’m not here
Parents agree to some expectations.
Turning things over to kids if they have problems.
Kids solve their own problems.
He threw a rock at the building and I thought we were done!
After play club, he never got a referral again.
School district really supports free play.
45 minutes of work 15 of play all day long.
District leadership team meetings even have this model.
Our brain needs a break.
How are you finding opportunities for kids to play with coronavirus?
I heard you increased recess time at your school. Tell me how that happened.
Wellness is baked into their standards.
Play club before and after school
Parent perception.
Start small, it takes no money and no preparation.
How to be a transformative principal? She takes a “let’s try it” approach.

Sponsors TeachFX

John Catt

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL.

Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

A G I L E Thinking Demystified with Frank Forte Transformative Principal 365 Nov 28, 2020

Show notes

For 30 years, Frank Forte has led projects and programs around the world for clients such as the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Army, NASA, CA, CSC, GTE, and Mylan Pharmaceutical. He has worked across many different industries, including Oil & Gas, Software, Healthcare, and Construction. Frank is the author of the book A.G.I.L.E. Thinking Demystified.

What is AGILE thinking?Adaptability, Growth Improvement Leadership Experience
The AGILE method is empiricism.
We don’t know what we have to do to please our stakeholders
We as humans don’t like to fail. Our education system rewards getting the right answer and doesn’t support failure.
Why do you need to teach adults that?
Effort and process.
What did you learn in this experiment?
Agile mentality have anything to offer me as a School principal?
It was about the process that I needed to follow.
We don’t have processes when it comes to idiosyncratic people. Is it complicated or complex? We do inspection and we have quality control
Humans as creators of engineering
What is the next experiment that I can use to help you grow?
When change approaches are successful and when they are failures.
CARES Act dealing with loans and withdrawals. Couldn’t have done it if not for the agile training they had gone through.
What about those made it so they could change so quickly. John Cotter - the Heart of Change
Sense of urgency has to the first thing
They will either vote with their feet or demand change.
Failures - trying once and then being surprised and giving up.
We are working in a complex ever-changing environment.
Build the change model
Retrospectives - How formal should these things be?
Don’t overwhelm the system.
What questions could I have asked to make it better?
Get comfortable with feedback, and accelerate that feedback.
We’ve got to carve out time to change.
Get effective first, then become efficient.
Growth vs. fixed mindset - fixed mindset is focused on being efficient.
Asking them what they have changed in their approach.
Change starts with awareness.
It’s time to make the donuts
Fight Flight and Freeze
If you do want to change, be prepared to get some push back.
How to be a transformative principal? Figure out what is on your backlog that needs to change. Make it so small that nobody will notice except you. Ask your class how they’re doing.
Listen and show empathy

Sponsors TeachFX

John Catt

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL.

Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Wanting to Get Better with Dr Vernita Glenn White Transformative Principal 364 Nov 24, 2020

Show notes

Wanting to Get Better with Dr. Vernita Glenn-White Transformative Principal 364

Social Media: You need to have a goal. Via @DrVglenn_white

Dr. V. is a professor of empowerment and executive coaching and consulting.

It’s ok to admit that you will make some mistakes.
How to not judge people?
There’s always things that are subconscious
I probably had this reaction because I listen to the news too much.
You have to want to get better.
You have to put yourself in environments where you are interacting with different people.
We don’t pause enough when we are interacting.
Setting norms of ground rules. Valencia College’s 13 rules of how we treat each other.
Show how much we are alike than different.
Don’t give up.
People give up because it is hard.
You need to have a goal.
How to be a transformative Principal? 1. Think about your vision for your life and how that relates to the vision for your school or district.
1. Sit down and think about your core values.

Sponsors TeachFX

John Catt

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL.

Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

How to be a Learner in a Digital Age with Janneke Ritchie Transformative Principal 363 Nov 21, 2020

Show notes

Janneke Ritchie is an entrepreneur, speaker, designer and digital transformation expert. A robot momma, she brings both passion and a healthy dose of realism to how robots, AI and future technologies can be used to transform how we work, live and age.  After 20 years of envisioning, designing and implementing solutions to enhance adoption of new technologies in large organizations, Janneke designs simple, elegant solutions to support people adopting modern technologies to go digital.   An international speaker, Janneke inspires audiences to envision the opportunities and prepare for the challenges of the era of AI. She has a specific interest in how modern technologies can enhance the experience of aging.  Janneke is the host of bricksTObytes, a podcast featuring real stories of real people daring to adopt modern tech to transform and go digital.  * Digital learning for non-digital natives * The challenges of how to design learning experiences using these digital technologies. * First Five Minutes Game Jane McGonnigal * non-linear learning * Digital natives vs digital immigrant * Losing it includes not knowing how to find it! * Because of the explosion of information, there’s not an expectation they know everything. * I took a course on coding because I wanted to know how coders work. * After that, they work with repositories. * How to be a learner in a digital age. * What are the skills you must learn. * nothing is solid in a digital world. * How the salient nugget retrieval happens * Things that would do well to persist. * There is no course that could have taught me. * There’s a hyper personalization that occurs. * SFD - Crappy first draft. * How to be a transformative principal? Do something new and find a way to share how you’ve done it with your colleagues and maybe even with your students.

Sponsors TeachFX

John Catt

We’re proud to be sponsored by IXL.

Simplify and streamline technology
Save teachers’ time
Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected