Transformative Principal

Bob Sonju is the Director of K–12 Learning in Washington School District in Southern Utah. In this first part of the interview, we discuss the following: A little about Bob’s history and what he learned to help him become prepared for being a transformative principal. Bob focuses on making sure all students are doing their best, not just particular subgroups. What prepared Bob to be a principal: being a coach and a special education teacher. What barriers prevent a school from being ready for change. Three fundamentals that are needed to change: Why do we exist Describing a perfect school What are we going to do to make sure we get there! Conversations about structural change take time and informal and formal conversations with teachers, students, parents, and other stakeholders. All the voices have to be in the room! Establishment of norms are critical for the success of our school, and while we want to hear everyone’s concerns, we will move forward with the will of the group. The norms for Bob’s schools.

This second part of the interview with Tom Whitford delves deeper into the great things he is doing. We discuss the following: Working with 3 different schools How he manages dealing with all that they have going on. Dealing with the new teacher evaluation system using the Danielson model What he has been focusing on as a leader in the three schools: PBIS and RTI. What RTI looks like on a day-to-day basis in his school(s). What ICE looks like at his school(s). What data they use, and how fluid their groups are. Why some students might get less support by entering Special Education than if they stay in their intervention groups. How to create opportunities for fluid movement and appropriate support between groups to meet the needs of the students. WADITW (We’ve Always Done it this Way) What advice would he give to principals? Relationships How being out in the hallways is beneficial (even during parent teacher conferences). What is in his office to motivate him? Great sayings in his office and his kids. Voxe

This week’s interview is with Tom Whitford, an amazing principal of 3(!) schools in Wisconsin. His mentor that taught him a lot about how to be a leader and how to push yourself and others to be better, book reads, and more. Professional Learning Communities in Tom’s ideal world. PLCs require a whole philosophy change to be effective. How to set the stage to be successful in having discussions with teachers. Power of change comes from stories. Create opportunities for conversation. How can administrators tell stories? Start with true stories. (Don’t make things up.) Provide opportunities for real conversation. What can we do to make this work, and what will prevent us from being successful? It is too easy for things to get said behind closed doors, and we need to address challenges early on, and then address issues as they arise. Focus the conversations on continuous improvement on faculty meeting time. “Jumpstart Fridays” - aides and others work with kids so they can do collaboration times. How Tom gets tea

My second part interview with the great Alice Peck. In this episode we focus on her new assignment as a principal of a Title I school in our district. What is Alice going to take with her to her new Title I school? What is Alice anxious about in going to her new school? Why Alice is excited about change. “If you’re not nervous, you probably shouldn’t be doing this!” How Alice is going to overcome her fears. “The greatest way to overcome fear is to face it and address it!” How Alice will deal with building trust as fast as she can. Hint: you can’t speed up trust. The importance of visibility as a school leader. Modeling the kind of work ethic she wants her staff to have. What advice does Alice have to be a transformative principal? Surround yourself with smart people. What helps Alice focus on what is most important? (I forgot to take a picture before I left her office! I’ll see if you can send me one.) Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal We're so grateful to ou

Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Alice Peck, one of the best principals I have ever worked with. You’ll love to get to know her in this episode. How she came to be where she is at. What she noticed coming from Texas to Utah. What she really enjoys about how things have changed since she came to her current position. How she got her staff on board right from the beginning with PBIS. The art program at Oakdale. The process of starting PBIS at her school. Practical advice of how to get things going. How important it is to have the whole staff involved in school-wide initiatives (speaking of PBIS specifically). Why an actual form for Office Discipline Referral form is important. Where to go when processes are established and ready to maintain. Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal We're so grateful to our sponsor AI Coach by Edthena. AI Coach enables your teachers to go through coaching cycles based on their own needs. The virtual coach guides teacher

Sponsor: SaneboxWeb Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey How to manage time on social media with being a principal, doctoral student, etc. How to connect with others. It is about connections that is most beneficial. Connecting with Bill Ferriter and John Pederson It isn’t about the tech itself, it is about the real. Technology just helps you connect with others. What Curt is most proud of that is happening at his school right now. Remodeling his school thanks to a funding referendum his community. Student-produced newscast. (Led by Crystal Brunelle) His school’s Facebook page Going out in the school and snapping pictures. International Happy Day “Wouldn’t this be cool to do?” - said a teacher at his school. People make stuff up on the Internet Humility - Curt is constantly deferring praise to others and deflecting praise and comments to his staff and other people around him. Strengths-Based Leadership Great book! Great leaders need to be e

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Curt Rees Twitter is a tech-minded principal at Northern Hills Elementary School in Onalaska, WI. He is also one of the hosts of the Techlandia Podcast, a great education podcast. Experience as a principal and a teacher around the country. Why he has moved around so much. Doctoral Program and how he balances that with being a principal and what he hopes to get out of it. Clay Shirky Cognitive Surplus Every single day I learn something about being a school leader. The 4 C’s: Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, Creativity Ninja video by his kids. (And the Harlem Shake) Technology as a tool that supports the kind of learning we want for our kids. Voxer App. Sharing things a little more privately and allowing for a little more emotion. We're so grateful to our sponsor AI Coach by Edthena. AI Coach enables your teachers to go through coaching cycles based on their own needs. The virtual coach guides teachers to re

William D. Parker is the principal of Skiatook High School. His web site and Twitter. He has also done some amazing interviews himself. I have learned a ton from reading those, and I am sure you will, as well. Due to technical difficulties, we recorded our phone conversation, so the quality is a little old school. But, I almost felt like a radio DJ with a call-in show. What he learned as the Assistant Principal to the Principal at his school, who recently retired. Bonuses for students who take all the assessments they are required to. What skills he had to learn as an educational leader, that he wasn’t taught in school. Key Responsibilities Areas from Entreleadership tells people who is in charge of what area. Here is his blog post about KRAs. Michael Hyatt leadership podcasts. How he has dealt with student loss. They have tragically had 2 student deaths this year. Excellent and a lot of communication. Be visible. Maintain as much stability as possible. Open to creative and spontaneous. Show appreciation to

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Doug Robertson (Twitter) teaches 3rd grade in Southern Oregon. Here’s his blog or media empire homepage. Youtube Channel Facebook Fan page He is the author of “He’s the Weird Teacher” (paperback) (Kindle edition). I interviewed Doug because I read his book and was really fascinated by it. I have learned that not everyone teaches the same way (DUH!). But, also, our own life experiences have taught us and shaped us into the people we are today. To be a great teacher, you don’t need to be like [Enter Great Teacher’s Name]. Doug and every excellent “popular” or famous or movie teacher have two things in common: A strong desire to be your own person, regardless of the status quo or anybody else’s judgments. A passion to help kids learn. As part of this podcast, I want to start interviewing master teachers who are really great at what they do. I am especially interested in teachers that are great at making their kids enjoy class an

  Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal In this second part of my interview with the amazing Chris Wejr, we go deeper into the ideas of student discipline and learning. We also discuss some other cool things that are happening at his school. Punishment. How to approach it correctly. How do we help students with disabilities. How to deal with parents of victims that are upset that there are not visible consequences for misbehavior. If we don’t teach this child, he will continue doing this. Following up with parents a couple weeks after an incident to ensure it is not still happening. Restorative practices - should be tied to negative behaviors. Finding opportunities for kids to serve others. Be proactive to find opportunities to prevent problems that may arise. FedEx Prep - giving teachers time to be innovative and productive on their own with their own passions. Advice for being a transformative principal. “It comes from the teachers, of course. I can’t transform

  Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal I was super excited to interview Chris Wejr. He is one of those principals that I have been following for a long time and his take on discipline and behavior is inspiring. Moving from a lower SES school to a higher SES school. If kids are driven by rewards, then they are across all areas. It is very easy to go too far with rewards, and focus only on providing rewards for kids to “get us through the day.” The problem with determining how to properly implement PBIS. The complexities of correcting a student’s behavior by giving them a reward when they behave correctly. How important it is to have sense of belonging to help students avoid negative behaviors. Strategies to help students who struggle with negative behavior overcome those struggles. It sometimes takes 2 years to get kids to overcome their struggles. How to buy yourself some time to make decisions and help get through the day to make sure you help kids who are strug

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Why are we going to let other people tell our story? What they believe in. Every choice they make is thoughtful. How Tony shares his story daily. Storify - An example of how Tony uses Storify. Cantiague Hashtag Video updates Touchcast app How he shifted brand management from him to the staff and the kids How to make sure the brand experience matches the brand promise. For example, here is an exchange between Tony and someone who knows what his school’s brand promise is: @TonySinanis @mrkempnz I know you do!! :) All groups are equally respected and treated at #Cantiague. — Lisa (@lisaodavis) April 17, 2014 Transparency has changed the relationship between the school and community. PTA meetings have taken a new direction since they are so open. Build it from the inside. Faculty Enhancement opportunities instead of faculty meetings How to be a transformative principal like Tony. It’s not about you! S

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure of interviewing Tony Sinanis. Little did I know, that he would be named the New York Elementary Principal of the Year! So, I interviewed him before he was famous. Tony Twitter is a great principal and one who is eager to share what he is doing well. He is also incredibly humble and self-aware. I hope you enjoy his interview. I sure learned a lot from him. Here is his BrandED podcast Tony discusses his background and how he is a first-generation college graduate, and not only that, he is working on his PhD and already has two Masters! Tony still keeps in contact with his first year’s class. Wow! Moving into his first school. Tony’s humility recognizing that he wasn’t the right fit for the school. Separating Tony the principal from Tony the Person. Recognizing that his cultural perspectives that were wrong for his school. The difference between white guilt and recognizing differences. Edu

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal I had the great pleasure to attend (and present) the UCET (Utah Coalition for Educational Technology) Conference this last Thursday and Friday. While it was a lot of fun, it was also ver powerful and transformative for me. I solidified some educational philosophies and had some time to actually think about what I am doing every day and how I am inspiring (or not) my teachers. George’s keynote was very inspiring, but it was also practical, and I love practical presentations. I loved meeting George after following him for so long. This was a great interview. One thing that was really awesome was that he made me wait a few extra minutes to ensure that he had gone through and read every single tweet about his keynote, and replied to those that he felt needed a response. it was amazing to hear him say three or four times, "Just a minute, I need to get through all these tweets. There were a ton of tweets!"  His keynote called “Innov

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey I had the great pleasure of speaking with Dr. Fidel Montero, the principal of Alta High School (Twitter) in Sandy, Utah. Fidel is inspiring from the first moment that you speak with him. He is incredibly smart, very caring, and wants students to be the most successful people they can be. Here is his TEDxCSDTeachers talk: Care. This is part two of my interview with him. I hope you enjoy it. We barely scratched the surface of what makes him transformative. How he counsels teachers and puts them in their areas of strength. How he evaluates himself and the initiatives he implements. How he delegates and guides the implementation of his vision. Michael Barber - Deliverology Some missteps the school took as they rolled out some new initiatives. How he responds when people complain about being overworked. How he gets feedback from teachers. What you can do to be a transformative principal. T

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey I had the great pleasure of speaking with Fidel Montero, the principal of Alta High School (Twitter) in Sandy, Utah. Fidel is inspiring from the first moment that you speak with him. He is incredibly smart, very caring, and wants students to be the most successful people they can be. Here is his TEDxCSDTeachers talk: Care.  The Doctoral research that Fidel conducted for his degree in urban school management. Parents pick up on who is being supportive, regardless of whether or not they spoke the native language of the parents. The demographic shift that Utah is currently experiencing, and why he wanted to conduct his research in Utah. Specific strategies for engaging and supporting Latino families in your school. Microagression The balance of talking about race when your race is either the same as your demographics or different. How including multicultural families in your school and rec

Sponsor: Sanebox Web Site Transformative Principal on Stitcher Refer A Principal Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey Follow @TrnFrmPrincipal on twitter! Like Transformative Principal on Facebook Show Notes Andy Greene is a transformative principal at Candlewood Middle School. We talk mostly about professional practice and professional development. Andy is a master at these two things. I learned so much from Andy, and I am so thankful he took the time to speak with me. Here are some bullet points from our discussion: How he ensures that teachers are continuous learners How he ensures that faculty meetings are like miniature college courses. How he uses backwards design for his faculty meetings. How he ensures that teachers come to faculty meeting and make sure that they all get something out of it. Mission and Vision Document Professional Expectations Document How he helps everyone see they are a member of a team. What it means to bow low. This: How he has hard conversations with t

  Sponsor: Sanebox      Transformative Principal on Stitcher   Refer A Principal   Best Tools for Busy Administrators Survey   In this second part interview, Sharyle and I discuss the following:   Community helping out those who need it. What the best parts are of having a new intern every year. She answers the question of how to be a transformative principal. Look at the big picture. She answers the question of what is in her office that inspires her. Then we talk about all the great ways she has involved her community in her travels, and how she gets them to see the big picture of helping others. Because she is so involved in her community, she knows what skills and Partnership with Apa Sherpa Foundation and Healthy Draper. Article about Apa Sherpa’s retirement Going to Peru and involving the whole school. Going to Africa and involving the community and school. How she convinces parents and her community to get on board with her ideas. How she connected Meet the Masters art program with music and dance.

Sponsor: Sanebox, erase email insanity!  Sharyle Karren has been a principal for the last 22 years! She has a lot of experience and this interview is a really great opportunity to learn from a great principal about how much she has helped students over the years. In this interview, we talk about the following: Her history as a principal and some of the trials she went through. The common theme through her experiences is that she had a positive attitude and knew that the people she worked with were amazing individuals. How she opened a new school, her current school. Establishing positive community relationships. How she went to each local organization and “dug her roots into the community”. How she established walking field trips to further establish a positive community relationship. How she manages intern principals. She has a great balance of allowing interns to make decisions, but making sure that they know that they need to talk to her. She gives them an opportunity to learn, but allows them the authori

Sponsor: Sanebox Avoid email insanity. Start saving time by using Sanebox which acts as a personal secretary, keeping all the unimportant emails from interrupting my day. I get an email digest of all the emails that I missed during the day at a time when I choose. I love Sanebox and I think you will, too! I’m really excited about this interview with Eric Sheninger@NMHS_Principal. Eric goes over the 7 pillars of Digital Leadership in his new book: Communication Public Relations Branding Student Engagement/Learning Professional Growth/Development Reenvisioning Learning Spaces and Environments Opportunity Eric talks about how his school’s journey and how that can be a template for changing from a mandate-driven school to one of empowerment. Our conversation includes the following: How social media has changed and pushed his view of the world. What we don’t know we fear. Why it is important to give students a voice. How to get students to be the focus on the essential skill sets. How to make learning for stude