Season 3, Episode 1 with Basil Marin #FocusED

by Joe & T.J. | Jan 26, 2022 | #FocusED, Action, Communication, Core Values, Culture, Daily Habits, Decision-Making, Education, Energy, Engagement, Excellence, Focus, Fulfillment, Goal Setting, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Listening, Mental Mapping, Motivation, Motivation & Retention, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Positivity, Principal Leadership, Principals, Professional Dialogue, Relationships, Resilience, Results, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork

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High Expectations for All Students, What Educators Should Stop Doing, and Much More with Guest Basil Marin

This is Season 3, Episode 1 of FocusED, and it features our guest, Basil Marin. It was originally recorded live for a studio audience in Delaware, provided as a professional development experience for Delaware teachers and leaders. Don’t miss what Basil has to say about treating all students with high expectations and some of what we get wrong when we schedule students into lower-level courses.

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Dr. Basil Marin Brings Tons of Experience to FocusED Listeners

Dr. Basil Marin hails from the Central Virginia area. He is a graduate of Eastern Mennonite University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He later earned a Master of Teaching in Special Education from Liberty University. After moving to the Virginia Beach area in 2014, he pursued an Educational Specialist in Administration & Supervision from Old Dominion University. Dr. Marin recently earned an Executive Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Old Dominion University in 2020.

Dr. Marin is one of the proud assistant principals of Chamblee Charter High School, a diverse high school located in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Marin brings an authentic and refreshing perspective to the field of education. As an administrator, he works hard to foster equitable opportunities and inclusive learning environments where ALL students and teachers are valued and respected.

Dr. Marin works daily to build meaningful relationships with students and desires to be the administrator he needed when he was growing up yet did not have access to. As a former struggling student himself, Dr. Marin is humbled to be able to give back to students who historically have fallen through the cracks of education and have not been given a second chance.

Dr. Marin has been afforded some incredible opportunities through the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) organization such as being selected as a 2017 Emerging Leader and being appointed as a “featured speaker” at the 2019 Empower Conference in Chicago. In addition, he met with U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy Devos and her executive team to speak on behalf of marginalized and underserved students and he explained how the lack of funding has impacted their educational experiences. Currently, Dr. Marin is the President for the Emerging Leaders ASCD National Affiliate. Dr. Marin is a contributing author in several books including Personal, Authentic, & Unconventional Leadership, Modern Mentor, Forces of Influence, and It’s Me. And today we’re talking about 100 No-Nonsense Things That All Teachers Should Stop Doing.

Thanks for listening to FocusED, an educational leadership podcast brought to you by TheSchoolHouse302 @ dereka206.sg-host.com where we publish free leadership content. Go to the site, subscribe, and you’ll get all of our content sent directly to your email.

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 with more knowledge, better understanding, and clear direction on what to do next.

FocusED · High Expectations for All Students, What Educators Should Stop Doing, & More with Guest Basil Marin

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302 Thoughts Fireside Chat: Reclaiming Your Purpose as a School Leader

by Joe & T.J. | Jan 15, 2022 | #302thoughts, #review&reflect, Action, Communication, Core Values, Courage, Culture, Daily Habits, Decision-Making, District Office Leadership, Education, Excellence, Feedback, Focus, Goal Setting, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Long-Term Decision-Making, Meeting Management, Motivation, Motivation & Retention, Networking, Organizational Growth, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Positivity, Principal Leadership, Principals, Professional Dialogue, Relationships, Resilience, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork

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Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power. ~ Epictetus

Open any news source or social media app and it is easy to become disillusioned, questioning where we are headed as a country. COVID-19 is still affecting many parts of the world, and with the variants, it seems to be something impossible to beat. One thing that we do know is that we are incredibly resilient as humans. However, resilience is only ever possible when it’s coupled with purpose. The greater we understand our purpose, the more focused and resilient we become. In this month’s 302 Thoughts we identify how to reclaim your purpose so that you can reignite your passion and desire amid challenging times.

We are also not naive. We realize that purpose has become a management watchword. Too many purpose statements aren’t written well or don’t mean much to the so-called user. But, “many people—not just Millennials—want to work for organizations whose missions and business philosophies resonate with them intellectually and emotionally.” Purpose, when done well, matters to both productivity and fulfillment.

What we find in times of uncertainty is that people lose track of the reason they brought themselves to their work. They feel shaky about their world, and they often can’t see the fruits of their labor. That’s why we built our model for getting grounded and reclaiming our purpose in schools. The model is a framework with action steps for getting grounded. Getting Grounded requires an unbridled effort to identify those things that are most important to your personal and professional core values. This works in life as well as it does in school leadership, and it’s necessary if we want to demonstrate our passion to our students and staff. We invite you to take a look at the model, read the show notes below, and listen to our discussion about reclaiming purpose as school leaders. If you haven’t heard our interview with Todd Whitaker and his definition of purpose–making a difference–check that out too.

Model for Reclaiming Your Purpose: Getting Grounded

Joe and T.J. Discuss the Concept of Purpose for School Leaders

Introspection

In this episode, Joe describes the process and power behind introspection:

I know my purpose at work each day.
My purpose at work directly corresponds with my daily activities.

Considering the statements above, are you clear on purpose and is your daily work aligned? Or consider your family. If spending time with your kids is important to you, are you ensuring you are creating enough time in your week to meaningfully be a part of their day?

Looking within ourselves and willing asking and answering the tough questions is essential to purpose because it is empowering.

Empowerment

In this episode, T.J. reminds us of the power in praising others for working toward a predefined purpose. Praising others empowers them to continue on their path with confidence. In turn, when we look to praise, we gain an awareness of all of the great things within our lives, which produces a feeling of gratitude. Gratitude leads to positivity and a better attitude. You can’t be negative and grateful at the same time.

We never like to conclude a show without providing some tangible resources for our audience that will make a difference in your work as a school leader. This month, T.J. discusses our REPSS survey, which can be found in our Building a Winning Team book. This survey is designed to give administrators keen insight into their faculties’ perceptions within key areas. In order to move in the right direction and focus on the right aspects of your school culture, including purpose, school leaders need to understand what to focus on as priorities. The survey results are a clear source of information that will lead to better navigation as a leader. Here’s a free copy of the survey.

Joe focused on a resource for women called, Career Contessa. This site “…helps working women be more fulfilled, healthy, and successful at work.” With online courses, career coaching, and more, the site helps women find and fulfill their purpose as leaders.

Our 302 Thoughts are monthly free live podcast recordings that help leaders to lead better and grow faster. It’s like school leadership training without having to leave the comfort of your office or home. We hope you’ll join us next month. Look for the dates in our newsletter.

Let us know if there’s a topic you want us to cover by leaving a comment below or by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Joe & T.J.

TheSchoolHouse302 · 302 Thoughts Fireside Chat: Reclaiming Your Purpose as a School Leader

Principal Leadership: The Truth About Reclaiming Your Purpose with Guest Todd Whitaker

by Joe & T.J. | Jan 8, 2022 | #onethingseries, Communication, Core Values, Courage, Culture, Disruption, Engagement, Feedback, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Listening, Long-Term Decision-Making, Motivation, Motivation & Retention, Organizational Growth, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Podcast, Principal Leadership, Principals, Resilience, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork

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About Todd Whitaker

Dr. Todd Whitaker has been fortunate to be able to blend his passion with his career. Recognized as a leading presenter in the field of education, his message about the importance of teaching has resonated with hundreds of thousands of educators around the world. Todd is a professor of educational leadership at the University of Missouri and professor emeritus at Indiana State University. He has spent his life pursuing his love of education by researching and studying effective teachers and principals.

Prior to moving into higher education he was a math teacher and basketball coach in Missouri. Todd then served as a principal at the middle school, junior high, and high school levels. He was also a middle school coordinator in charge of staffing, curriculum, and technology for the opening of new middle schools.

One of the nation’s leading authorities on staff motivation, teacher leadership, and principal effectiveness, Todd has written over 50 books including the national best seller, What Great Teachers Do Differently. Other titles include: Dealing With Difficult Teachers, Ten-Minute Inservice, Your First Year, What Great Principals Do Differently, Motivating & Inspiring Teachers, and Dealing With Difficult Parents.

Todd is married to Beth, also a former teacher and principal, who is currently a faculty member of educational leadership at the University of Missouri and professor emeritus at Indiana State University. They are the parents of three children; Katherine, Madeline, and Harrison.

What You’ll Find In This Episode with Todd Whitaker

Todd’s insight on how people act and react during crises is enlightening. His comment, “people always look to leaders but in times of change they stare” is spot on. He reminds us that the difference that we can make in our schools and districts always resides within the people.

He candidly reveals that a crisis exposes weakness and that certain people have the skills to figure it out, while others don’t.

Todd tells us to stop being defensive. COVID19 revealed that schools are needed more than ever. Our purpose is to make a difference, that simple. Embrace it and believe it!

He spends time talking about our best teachers and their willingness to ask others for help. This deeply resonated with us as we often discuss the power of a #learningculture.

You don’t want to miss how he describes how some people use their moods as a weapon and that the reward for negative people is that we never ask them to do anything.

Todd talked about Twitter–how the knowledge of one becomes the knowledge of all.

He takes a few minutes to illustrate the difference between a leader teaching and a leader telling and how it diffuses disagreement.

His example of everyone “getting a trophy these days” and how it creates a scapegoat mentality is something that you want to hear, possibly more than once. His explanation of the difference between placing blame and embracing responsibility is powerful.

Todd talks about learning from great people by finding the sharpest people in the room and spending time with them versus any mediocre person he might come across. Again, Todd shares an incredible story about a principal’s goal and what she can control.

We spend an enormous amount of time on the concept of improving schools and education in general, and he tells us plainly: hire better people or improve the ones you have. How he breaks down superstars, backbones, and mediocres will empower any principal leader.

What doesn’t Todd believe anymore? Tune in and find out. You won’t be disappointed. (Hint: What’s a blanket monkey?)

As always, let us know what you think of this with a like, a follow, or a comment. Find us on Twitter, YouTube, iTunes, Facebook, & SoundCloud. And, again, if you want one simple model for leading better and growing faster per month, follow this blog by entering your email at the top right of the screen.

TheSchoolHouse302 is about getting to simple by maximizing effective research-based strategies that empower individuals to lead better and grow faster.

Joe & T.J.

TheSchoolHouse302 · Principal Leadership: The Truth About Reclaiming Your Purpose with Guest Todd Whitaker

Get your copy of Retention for a Change and start supporting teacher retention today.

Two Books You Must Read To Reclaim Your Purpose–It’s Easy If You Do It Right

by Joe & T.J. | Dec 20, 2021 | #readthisseries, #SH302, Communication, Core Values, Courage, Creativity, Culture, Daily Habits, Decision-Making, District Office Leadership, Education, Excellence, Feedback, Focus, Goal Setting, Innovation, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Long-Term Decision-Making, Meeting Management, Motivation & Retention, Networking, Organizational Growth, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Positivity, Principal Leadership, Principals, Professional Dialogue, Relationships, Resilience, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork

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Learning and growing as a school leader through reflection, training, and experience is a professional choice. One powerful way to improve is through reading great books, which is why we feature a couple each month. Our aim is to link the reading to our theme for the month, getting grounded this December, so you, the reader, are processing the information through a specified lens. We’ve heard from our followers that this content is being used as a leadership development curriculum. Kudos to you for picking yourself to grow and improve.

We have found that this degree of focus helps achieve the aim we are after. This month we are totally focused on reclaiming our purpose because Covid19 and other societal issues have simply rocked our world. Although it is hard to declare causation, it is believed that isolation during the pandemic is likely the reason we’ve experienced an increase in various crimes. Schools are microcosms of the community, so what people are experiencing in their lives impacts our schools to a great degree. This is why we are focused on getting grounded to reclaim your purpose.

Reclamation is powerful and right now we need people to reassert themselves and once again take control of their lives. This doesn’t diminish the threat we face, but rather it recognizes that we still can control many things in our lives. This is at the heart of this month’s post and the genius that is held within our first book recommendation.

A compilation of writings from some of the greatest thinkers who have walked this earth are found in Man and Man: The Social Philosophers. You will find Epictetus’ The Manual inside. You will discover a very practical approach to living that is designed to reduce suffering. This is one of our favorite quotes from the book:

“In walking about, as you take care not to step on a nail, or to sprain your foot, so take care not to damage your own ruling faculty; and if we observe this rule in every act, we shall undertake this act with more security.”

Featured Author: Compilation of Authors

Featured Book: THE SOCIAL PHILOSOPHERS MAN AND MAN (THE WORLD’S GREAT THINKERS SERIES)

Our second book this month is a terrific must read and something that we believe should be revisited from time-to-time. Todd Whitaker has become a force for educational leaders as they learn how to navigate challenges. We chose, What Great Principals Do Differently not only because it offers simple and sage advice for school leaders, but it also helps leaders reclaim their purpose.

One aspect that we truly appreciate is how Whitaker describes that we must invest in people. And, we can’t think of a more important time than now to do so. As he describes,

“We can spend a great deal of time and energy looking for programs that will solve our problems, but these programs frequently do not bring the improvement or growth we seek. Instead, we must focus on what really matters. It is never about programs, it is always about people.”

Featured Author: Todd Whitaker

Featured Book: What Great Principals Do Differently

Let us know what you’re reading by contacting us at [email protected]. And don’t miss our leadership newsletter every week by subscribing on the site.

We can’t wait to hear from you.

Joe & T.J.

TheSchoolHouse302 · Two Books You Must Read To Reclaim Your Purpose--It's Easy If You Do It Right

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Season 2, Episode 11 with Dan Domenech #FocusED

by Joe & T.J. | Dec 17, 2021 | #FocusED, Action, Communication, Core Values, Culture, Daily Habits, Decision-Making, Education, Energy, Engagement, Excellence, Focus, Fulfillment, Goal Setting, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Listening, Mental Mapping, Motivation, Motivation & Retention, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Positivity, Principal Leadership, Principals, Professional Dialogue, Relationships, Resilience, Results, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork

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Dan Domenech Brings Tons of Experience to FocusED Listeners

Daniel A. Domenech has served as the executive director of the AASA, The School Superintendents Association, since 2008. Domenech has more than 45 years of experience in public education; for twenty-seven of those years, he served as a school superintendent.

Prior to joining AASA, Domenech served as senior vice president for National Urban Markets with McGraw-Hill Education. In this role, he was responsible for building strong relationships with large school districts nationwide.

Before he took the position at McGraw-Hill, Domenech served for seven years as superintendent of the Fairfax County, Va., Public Schools, the 12th largest school system in the nation with 168,000 students.

Domenech began his teaching career in New York City, where he taught sixth grade in a predominantly black and Hispanic community in South Jamaica, Queens. He then became program director for the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services, which is the largest intermediate school district in the State of New York. Following this, he was first named superintendent of schools for Long Island’s Deer Park Schools and then became superintendent of schools for the ethnically diverse South Huntington School District, also on Long Island — a position he held for 13 years. From 1994 to 1997, he was district superintendent of the Second Supervisory District of Suffolk County and chief executive officer of the Western Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services.

Domenech, an AASA member since 1979, served as president of AASA from July 1998 to June 1999. He is also a past president of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, the Suffolk County Superintendents Association, and the Suffolk County Organization for Promotion of Education. He was the first president and co-founder of the New York State Association for Bilingual Education.

In addition, Domenech has served on the U.S. Department of Education’s National Assessment Governing Board, the advisory board for the Department of Defense schools, the board of directors of the Association for the Advancement of International Education, the Board of Overseers for the Baldrige Award and the boards of the Institute for Educational Leadership, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, Sea Research Foundation, and Education Policy Institute. Currently, he serves on the boards of the Learning First Alliance, National Student Clearinghouse, Center for Naval Analyses, Horace Mann Educators Corporation, ACT, USAC, and board chair for Communities in Schools of Virginia.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hunter College in New York City and a Ph.D. from Hofstra University in Uniondale, N.Y.

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FocusED · Systems Thinking, Leadership Development, and More with Guest Dan Domenech

302 Thoughts Fireside Chat: Bad Boss Behaviors That You Can’t Afford to Possess

by Joe & T.J. | Dec 13, 2021 | #302thoughts, #review&reflect, Action, Communication, Core Values, Courage, Culture, Daily Habits, Decision-Making, District Office Leadership, Education, Excellence, Feedback, Focus, Goal Setting, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Long-Term Decision-Making, Meeting Management, Motivation, Motivation & Retention, Networking, Organizational Growth, Organizational Leadership, Passion, Planning and Preparation, Positivity, Principal Leadership, Principals, Professional Dialogue, Relationships, Resilience, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork

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The challenge of leadership is to be strong but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not a bully; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly. ~ Jim Rohn

Being an effective leader is far from easy. In fact, good leaders recognize that every day is an opportunity for either excellence or average performance. With so many factors at play each day, superior leaders realize that their behaviors have to be superior and fully aligned to high leverage leadership strategies. Otherwise, we fall prey to poor leadership and management behaviors.

This month, we featured the opposite of what great leaders do, so people would know what to avoid doing. Typically, you won’t find an explicit list like this in school leadership training seminars or classes, but our goal is to provide content for leaders who are striving to improve. Below are our five bad boss behaviors, and for this 302 Thoughts we take a deep dive into two of them.

#1 Micromanaging Your Team: Empowering leaders assign work and then follow up

#2 Withholding Information from Others: Communicate it right away

#3 Stealing Great Ideas: Give credit to innovative thinking, out-of-the-box idea sharing, and risk-taking

#4 Taking Credit for Supports or Success: Reduce “I” from your vocabulary and begin saying “we” more often

#5 Using Relationships to Leverage Power: Leaders must have people around them who can be honest and truthful

In our live recording, Joe tackled bad boss behavior number two, which is withholding information from others. The antidote to this action is to communicate timely and put in structures and systems that create communication opportunities. We need systems in place because this bad behavior can be done consciously and subconsciously. At its worst, withholding information is used to coerce and manipulate situations. Even when it is done inadvertently, it can create a toxic culture or information hoarding.

When conducting school leadership training, we often tie our school research to businesses and industry. This works because companies have a financial bottom line and can estimate losses and gains more concretely than schools and districts. What we find in companies where communication is poor is that an “ineffective knowledge sharing culture…can cost large U.S. firms up to $47 million in lost productivity annually. If that’s true for businesses, think of the devastating impact this has on schools and the students who are supposed to be learning in them.

The second bad boss behavior we explored in this episode was stealing great ideas. We cannot express this enough, but give credit where credit is due. It’s an old adage and holds true for leaders. This is often a symptom of withholding information that erodes trust and self-worth. Great leaders know to give credit for actions and outcome as well as words and ideas.

We love the funny but all-too-true FedEx commercial where the boss repeats the exact same suggestion from one of his employees and the rest of the team, originally silent, loves it when the boss suggests it. Despite the commercial being comical, in reality this behavior stings. It not only subjugates the employee, it creates a pure power vacuum that will limit collaboration and performance thinking.

During our 302 Thoughts we love to suggest a few tools that leaders can use immediately. To improve the timeliness of communication, leaders can use Voxer. This walkie talkie app creates a clear line of communication for teams. This tool is great when information is needed in real time. We urge any team that uses the app to build norms so it is used properly, but the pros of using this tool certainly outweigh the cons.

Another basic item discussed was TheSchoolHouse302 Specific Praise Recognition Card. These cards will be available soon, but here is a sample. Praise is too often underwhelming and these cards are equipped with praise prompts to ensure you deliver an effective praise message.