Education

Sep

By Joe & T.J.

Restorative Discipline Won’t Work If Adults Don’t Believe In It

Welcome to Sunday Funday Where We Bring Calm Amid The Chaos. Last week, we wrote about restorative discipline and a simple idea: when students make mistakes, our response should do more than stop the behavior. It should help them learn from it, which sounds reasonable. Until someone hears the word restorative and thinks: So there […]

Sep

By Joe & T.J.

The Secrets to Developing Trust as a School Leader with Jen Schwanke

FocusED Show Notes with Jen Shwanke In this episode of FocusED, Dr. Jen Schwanke joins Joe and TJ from TheSchoolHouse302 to discuss her book, Trusted: Trust Pillars, Trust Killers, and the Secret to Successful Schools, sharing practical strategies on how school leaders can foster trust, manage conflict, and build collective efficacy. Jen explains that public trust in […]

Aug

By Joe & T.J.

Executive Functions for Every Classroom with Mitch Weathers and Sarah Oberle

FocusED Show Notes with Mitch Weathers and Sarah Oberle In this episode of FocusED, Mitch Weathers and Dr. Sarah Oberle discuss their book, Executive Functions for Every K-3 Classroom, and share practical insights on embedding executive function skills into everyday instruction to support learners of all ages. Sarah explains that executive functions are interrelated cognitive processes responsible […]

Aug

By Joe & T.J.

The 30-Day Leadership Challenge with Michelle Pourchot

FocusED Show Notes with Michelle Pourchot In this episode of FocusED, Michelle Pourchot shares practical leadership lessons from nearly three decades in education and discusses her book, The 30-Day Leadership Challenge. Michelle explains that effective leadership isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about growing intentionally, building trust, and leading people with authenticity. Michelle says she wrote The […]

Jul

By Joe & T.J.

The CTE Experience with Troy Long

FocusED Show Notes with Troy Long In this episode of FocusED, Joe and T.J. interview Troy Long, author of The CTE Experience. Troy makes the case that CTE is not an alternative pathway—it’s one of the most powerful ways to prepare students for both college and careers. Drawing on more than two decades in education, he explains […]

Jun

By Joe & T.J.

The Negotiation Skills Every School Leader Needs with Scott Walker

FocusED Show Notes with Scott Walker In this episode of FocusED, Joe and T.J. interview Scott Walker, author of Order Out of Chaos. Scott shares powerful lessons from hostage negotiations that every leader can apply to difficult conversations, conflict, and high-pressure decision-making. Drawing from years of navigating life-or-death situations, Scott explains why chaos isn’t something to avoid—it’s […]