Ok, this title is 100% stolen from one of my favorite leadership bloggers, Dan Rockwell. You can read his post, and I know you will gain something from it! There is something about his title that stopped me and made me think. My take on “the persecution of joy” is more specific to school leaders and probably not as insightful! One…
Before writing this newsletter, I spent two hours writing an update for the IU8 Board of Directors. That two hours preceded another hour of planning what I wanted to say. As I write this, I am unsure how the update “went over” with the Board, but I hope it was insightful. The update took so long to write because the…
Psychologists have long studied the idea of a “secure base,” a concept rooted in John Bowlby’s attachment theory. The research is clear: When people feel secure, supported, and encouraged, they perform at higher levels. They take risks, grow, and thrive. The Secure Base Model is built on three essential elements: When these three forces work together, the Secure Base Model…
One of the privileges I have serving as an Executive Director of an intermediate unit is my interactions with superintendents. I can not overstate my respect for all of the wonderful people who decide to lead a school district. The job is maddeningly beautiful, difficult, complex, rewarding, and emotionally draining. Despite all of this, we have outstanding people raising their…
Dear Building principal, Let’s start with the obvious: your job is ridiculously complex. Full stop. In my opinion, the hardest job in public education right now belongs to you, the building principal. Period. So before anything else, let me acknowledge that and give you the credit you deserve for taking on a role that brings both intense stress and immense…
This blog is written as an open letter to school superintendents. Dear Superintendent, How are you and your district navigating these rapidly changing times? Are things “humming along,” or are you noticing the cracks in parent and public perceptions that may be signaling far bigger change is on the horizon? I hope you’ve already started to sense it—that what used…
Last week, I took a long walk—the kind of walk that lets your mind wander and explore paths you didn’t plan to tread. Have you ever experienced that? I started out thinking about work, but soon my thoughts shifted to something broader: my philosophy of education and how I see the world. It was one of those moments where clarity…
Recently, during a meeting, the idea of instituting a statewide Student Information System (SIS) for Pennsylvania was proposed. Proponents enthusiastically outlined the potential benefits:A statewide SIS would reduce the accounting burden on local school districts and standardize the collection of student data.It would allow for better tracking of mobile students, particularly those requiring additional services, across districts.It promised increased efficiency…
Last week, I had “one of those” weeks. It seemed like every action I took, every decision I made, and most conversations I had did not go the way I wanted them. In other words, the closer Friday came rolling around, the more inept and incompetent I felt. Have any of you had a similar experience? If you have not, that’s…
Let’s consider the difference between perception and perspective as we go through our work this week. People make the mistake of thinking these two words are synonyms, but they are not. Perspective is “living” in another person’s world to better understand their motivations, concerns, struggles, and so on. Gaining perspective places the onus on you to do something to understand…