The Leader Inside with Lauren Kaufman
This is Season 6, Episode 2 of FocusED, and it features our guest, Lauren Kaufman; we discuss what it means to be your authentic self at work, growth strategies, the power of a mentor, great books to read…and so much more.
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Lauren Kaufman Brings a Tons of Experience to FocusED Listeners
Lauren Kaufman’s passion is to empower teachers to lead and develop lifelong-literacy practices in all learners. She’s currently serving as a district leader in Long Island, NY, has served as an assistant principal, classroom teacher, elementary and middle school literacy specialist, instructional coach, and mentor coordinator.
Lauren has led teams to develop a comprehensive approach to literacy, provided job-embedded professional learning, and leads with a coaching mindset.
Lauren is the author of The Leader Inside: Stories of Mentorship to Inspire the Leader Within. She is passionate about sharing her learning on her own blog, through podcasts, and is a guest blogger for The Teach Better Team, Future Ready Schools, and Defined.
Lauren is also a contributing author in various educational journals, Edutopia, Education Week, Defined, George Couros’ #BecauseOfATeacher and Lainie Rowell’s #EvolvingWithGratitude. She wholeheartedly believes in the importance of developing powerful professional learning communities and networks that foster meaningful, relevant learning and growth.
FocusED Show Notes with Guest Lauren Kaufman
Lauren tells that she was inspired to write the book, The Leader Inside, because of her journey and the people who mentored her along the way, including her parents who were teachers and a special teacher who she names on the show.
She told us a story about how George Couros challenged her to blog and then eventually write a book. She writes to reflect on her learning, and the pieces about coaching and mentoring resonated most, which led her to the content and the title of her book.
She hopes that the book will help people to recognize their gifts and amplify them for themselves and others.
She tells us a story about her own growth and the realization that it’s special to be able to collaborate with people and learn through interactions with others.
Lauren calls out the importance and nobility in having a career in education. Don’t miss what she says about intentionally identifying your personal core values and then connecting them to the vision and mission of your school or district.
Joe asked about the power of mentorship. Lauren dives into her former role as a mentor coordinator and the need for a great mentor match, especially in early-career educators.
She reminds us about mentoring standards and professional learning networks that can both guide and support our work.
In the mentor-mentee relationship, the mentee has a ton of value and the framing should be that both people are learning with and from one another.
She talks about her reading habits, reading more than one book at a time, and what she calls “slow reading.”
Lauren says that it’s the leader’s job to create structure and processes for others to lead.
Books We Recommend Based on this Podcast with Lauren Kaufman
The Innovator’s Mindset by George Couros
The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath
Big Potential by Shawn Achor
Teach Like a Pirate by Dave Burgess
The Definitive Guide to Instructional Coaching by Jim Knight
How to Know a Person by David Brooks
The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
Quotes from the Podcast with Lauren Kaufman
It’s important to have partners in this work. ~ Lauren Kaufman
Individually we shine; together we shine brighter. ~ Lauren Kaufman
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FocusED is your educational leadership podcast where our mission is to dissect a particular focus for teachers and school leaders so that you can learn to lead better and grow faster in your school or district. Let us know who you would like to hear from next.
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