August - 2017

The “Schools First!” Slogan for Managing Emotional Smoke & Fire

They say, “Where there is smoke, there is fire.” So, let’s apply that metaphor to this scenario: I like to believe that most educators want what is best for students. Sometimes, this isn’t the case, however. The creed of “Kids First!” or “Students First!” is important and our students deal with fires that we, sometimes, cannot possibly imagine. It can be very challenging being a kid today and whatever the backgrounds that our students come to us with, we love them all and

Leadership “Worrying” & The Healthy Leader In You

We’ve all worried before and we’re most likely going to worry about something in the next few minutes or sometime over the next few days. We’re human. Worrying is a natural emotion for all of us. But, how does worrying impact our leadership and our schools? Take a look at these familiar feelings: I’m worried that they won’t like me. I’m worried that they won’t think I’m smart [or expert at something]. I’m worried that something bad will happen [if I do this or that]. I’m

When Taking the High Road Leads to Shakier Ground

Our Dunk Tank Voxer Group, entitled “Prevailing Leaders” never ceases to amaze me. The reflections, posts, and voice messages are powerful and we are not just discussing the Dunk Tank book to a point where it would become too stale. Instead, we are a support group, a reflective group, and we love talking about innovative leadership, teaching, and learning in so many incredible ways. We love wrestling with issues about leadership life. Recently, we were discussing how taking