A Principal's Reflections

FEBRUARY 27, 2022

When it comes to leadership, there is no one right way or quick fix. Just like with learning, it's a process, not an event. It is easy just to say how one should improve leadership or anything else for that matter. Another successful strategy is to develop an informal walk-through schedule with your leadership team.

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A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 17, 2021

At the individual level, intrinsic motivation drives educators to actively seek opportunities that support their diverse learning interests and needs. Motivation does matter, and I am all for keynote speakers or conference-like events as long as there is an underlying plan to ensure educators get what they need to succeed throughout the year.

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A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 14, 2022

While the pandemic has undoubtedly played a monumental role in decreasing morale, other factors continuously play a role, such as leadership, mandates, lack of time, systems that are in place, a toxic culture, inadequate pay, or trying to maintain a work-life balance. Some schools have large-scale team-building events both on and off-site.

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A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 25, 2023

Leadership embodies consistent qualities and characteristics that remain unchanged while the tools, research, and societal shifts influencing the work have evolved. Leadership combines artistic and scientific elements, aiming to mobilize people toward a shared objective. Leadership is a collaborative endeavor.

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A Principal's Reflections

SEPTEMBER 20, 2020

Knowing what the issues are and how recent events have amplified them, the time is now to be proactive. The 420 lessons in the program, called Ripple Effects, cover core SEL skills as well as personal topics ranging from anxiety, bullying and marijuana to managing fears around an undocumented parent. You got this!

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A Principal's Reflections

NOVEMBER 6, 2022

Empowering our learners to think critically and solve real-world problems must be a cornerstone of our mission as educators. No matter the impact, the aftermath of disruptive events can set the stage for innovative change by focusing on the “3 C’s” – convalesce, conceptualize, create. What happens if we don’t?

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A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 30, 2019

One-and-done events might get everyone pumped up and excited, but what comes next? Like change, learning is a process, not an event. Take a look at the image below from Sylvia Duckworth to see what educators really value and think about what needs to change in your school or district.

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A Principal's Reflections

FEBRUARY 2, 2020

They have utilized me as a keynoter, coach (leadership and teaching), and workshop presenter. During a planning call prior, I was asked to work with special education, math, and reading teachers in particular. Please feel free to share your suggestions in the comments section below.

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A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 19, 2014

I am not sure any educator looks forward to these monotonous experiences (developed under the guise of learning!) I attended many of these events just to meet the required hours of professional development. More often than not, PD is something that has been done to us, rather than something we as educators want to engage in.

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A Principal's Reflections

JUNE 19, 2022

While there are many challenging aspects when it comes to leadership, one that typically rises to the top is dealing with difficult personalities. In the event that the meeting begins to veer out of control, table it for another time. As the saying goes, it’s typically the 1% that gives you 99% of the problems.

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A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 30, 2016

Educators who have embraced this concept have experienced firsthand the positive impact on professional practice that being a connected educator brings. Image credit: Harold Jarche Leadership is a choice and not one that should be made lightly. Learning is the fuel of leadership. The premise is relatively simple.

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A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 24, 2016

More often than not, professional development is something that is done to educators as opposed to an experience that they truly value for growth. For many, district professional development is a one-size-fits-all isolated event with no follow-up or support. This is something I take great pride in.

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A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 27, 2022

I shared the following in Digital Leadership : A true testament to an exceptional leader, regardless of position, is their ability to convince, persuade, or inspire others to change, especially those who do not want to. Change is a process, not an event. Every student in every classroom and school deserves excellence.

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A Principal's Reflections

SEPTEMBER 1, 2024

No matter what education circle you are in, AI is likely a topic of conversation. Some see it as the holy grail of education, and this has manifested in countless books and presentations, especially at technology conferences. Even events that are not focused on digital have sessions dedicated to the topic. Prompt all you want.

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A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 18, 2015

Over the past couple of weeks I have been either keynoting conferences or facilitating workshops focusing on digital leadership and learning. I relish the fact of being able to talk about creating schools that work for kids and leadership in the digital age. It is an honor and privilege to be in a leadership position.

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A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 23, 2015

It was an incredible opportunity to get back to Hawaii for a professional event as opposed to a vacation. This was the fourteenth time the school had put on the event and it was awesome to see and meet so many passionate educators on a Saturday. Talk about making a commitment to grow and get better!

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A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 13, 2022

There are many digital tools available to educators these days, which often creates an overwhelming feeling. Professional Learning Typical means of professional development (PD) such as drive-by events, one-off workshops, or book studies, while having value, will not lead to impactful virtual learning at scale.

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ED Surge

NOVEMBER 6, 2024

When I came out to my family during my first year of college in the early 2000s, my mom’s immediate concern extended beyond my safety and happiness to my future as an educator. My undergraduate education, grounded in social justice and critical literacy, energized me to create equitable opportunities in my classroom.

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A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 21, 2014

One of the most utilized excuses in education when it comes to change is lack of time. Regardless of your respective role in education, time will always be your enemy if you look at it with a fixed as opposed to a growth mindset. There is nothing more important to an educator, outside of working with kids, than professional learning.

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A Principal's Reflections

OCTOBER 22, 2023

It serves as a valuable tool for educators, schools, and districts to refine their skills and improve teaching, learning, and leadership. Whether it comes from administrators, peers, consultants, or self-assessment, feedback offers insights that help educators identify areas for improvement and build upon their strengths.

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Psychology Professional Development Cultures Leadership 436

A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 20, 2023

For various reasons, educators are enamored by the keynoting circuit, facilitating presentations at both national and international events, and coaching in school systems. However, the conversation never stopped, and I eventually decided to take a leap of faith to pursue a newfound passion in education.

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A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 8, 2015

Schools and educators would be wise to take cues from the real world and make concerted efforts to integrate technology with the purpose to increase student engagement. Stronger student engagement or improved student engagement are common instructional objectives expressed by educators."

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Artifacts Pedagogy Leadership Educational Technology 415

A Principal's Reflections

MAY 15, 2014

The following is a guest post from Alison Anderson , who is a former teacher, tech integrator and now education blog editor. She is active an active member of the EdCampPDX planning team and continually focused on working to improve education for students in Portland and beyond. find one review here ).

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EdTech Leadership Tradition Education 348

A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 19, 2018

At the end of each practice, there was a closure activity where we reflected on the events of that day while preparing for a future contest. Leaders need consistent support and feedback on all aspects of the position to continually grown and improve, but the most emphasis should be on issues related to instructional leadership.

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Leadership Professional Development Pedagogy High School 371

A Principal's Reflections

APRIL 9, 2017

A hallmark of great leadership is creating the conditions to arrive at consensus when major decisions will impact the entire school or district. As change is a process, not an event, discussions, feedback, and reflection can and should take time in order to make the best decision possible. Enter the Eisenhower Matrix.

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Leadership High School Education 377

A Principal's Reflections

MARCH 21, 2013

This conference is one of my must attend events of the year and I use it as an opportunity to develop new presentations based on my leadership experiences at New Milford High School. Change Leadership New Milford High School Opinion systems thinking' In your experiences what would you add to this presentation and why?

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A Principal's Reflections

SEPTEMBER 2, 2018

Have you ever paid money to go and watch a professional sporting event, play, or musical? What drives you to spend money and attend these events? Regardless of your rationale, it is essential to understand that there is so much going on behind the scenes leading up to the culminating event that you pay to watch.

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Leadership Research Teaching Education 379

A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 2, 2015

In a 2014 Forbes article , Richard Tiland makes some significant points when it comes to video and leadership. Using YouTube as a public relations and branding tool is a seamless shift when leaders record and then share school events focusing on students such as art shows, concerts, athletic events, and award ceremonies.

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A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 12, 2010

So many exciting things have happened recently as a result of my own learning and growth in educational technology and leadership. As a result, I have seen my own knowledge increase in these areas, participated in exciting professional development opportunities, presented at both my school and at other events on web 2.0,

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A Principal's Reflections

JULY 10, 2016

There is always a great deal of discussion about change in education in order to better prepare students for success. Through my work I have seen in person, and through social media, some amazing examples of what education can and should be. Sometimes the best examples of sustainable change have resulted from a more organic approach.

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A Principal's Reflections

MAY 16, 2021

While change in education has historically been both tough and slow, the pandemic disrupted the way school was done across the globe. The “ clean slate” moment, as I have called it, saw resilient educators rise to the occasion in response to the most challenging event ever to impact the profession. We must keep it that way.

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Cultures Leadership Teaching Research 413

Dangerously Irrelevant

JANUARY 3, 2021

There is some incredible work happening right now related to women in P-12 educational leadership. Women Who Lead has more than 500 curated video conversations with over 70 women who hold leadership positions in education. WomenEd boasts a community of over 35,000 participants and has hosted hundreds of events.

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A Principal's Reflections

NOVEMBER 18, 2018

As a school administrator, I remember always having the best intentions when it came to instructional leadership. These were then followed by back to school nights and athletic events. Make the time by committing to a few changes that will create a healthy balance between management and leadership that impacts the learning culture.

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A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 23, 2010

The construction of a PLN enables educators to harness the power inherent in 21st Century technologies in order to create a professional growth tool that is accessible whenever, wherever. Image Credit [link] Most educators I talk to have no idea where to begin when attempting to create a PLN that meets their teaching and learning needs.

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A Principal's Reflections

AUGUST 15, 2014

This post is my contribution to Leadership Day 2014. Image credit: [link] In education I don''t think anyone sets out to establish a legacy. If there was one profession where individual or group legacy is least prevalent it is education. Legacy is such a deep and meaningful word in my opinion.

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A Principal's Reflections

NOVEMBER 8, 2020

For the better part of my educational career, I always referred to any type of learning to assist me as a teacher or administrator as professional development (PD). The experiences where I had some level of choice were the most meaningful to me and resulted in real changes to my educational practice.

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Professional Development Leadership Humanities Cultures 364

A Principal's Reflections

DECEMBER 21, 2011

Quite simply, social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook have improved my effectiveness and efficiency as an educational leader. After lurking and learning for a little while, I quickly discovered this vibrant community of passionate educators actively collaborating to improve educational practices.

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