Educators Among Us

Fear can protect us from danger, but it can also keep us from becoming everything we're capable of being. Fear of failure, judgment, rejection, or simply trying something unfamiliar can stop us before we even begin. And as educators, we aren't just responsible for ourselves. We are purposely driven to help others overcome their fears, too.

In this episode of the Educators Among Us podcast, host Scott Barron, Chief Reinvention Officer with School Growth, explores what it takes to conquer fear and why avoiding it isn't the answer, why failure is part of life's journey, and how learning to move through fear is essential to growth.

Educators, parents, and leaders have a special opportunity to help others develop the courage to overcome fear. By making it safe to fail, encouraging resilience, and celebrating progress rather than perfection, we help others discover abilities they may not realize they possess.

— Fear Is Natural. It can protect us from danger, but unchecked fear can also prevent us from growing.

— Avoidance Isn't the Answer. Running from fear doesn't eliminate life's challenges or the possibility of failure.

— Courage Is a Decision. Conquering fear requires choosing to move forward despite uncertainty.

— Failure Is Part of Growth. Learning to get back up after setbacks helps us discover what we're capable of achieving.

— Make It Safe to Fail. Parents, educators, and leaders can help others develop the confidence to try again.

— Faith Helps Us Persevere. Trusting God provides comfort and strength when we face difficult circumstances.

— Conquer a Fear Every Day. Growth begins when we take action rather than allowing fear to make our decisions.

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Educators Fellowship is a non-profit organization that encourages educators in their calling and in their faith.

www.educatorsamonguspodcast.com

www.educatorsamongus.com

https://www.edfellowship.org/

Sign up for weekly encouragement messages here: https://www.edfellowship.org/home-1

Buy the book, The Book on Communication: The Laws of the Grapevine for Trust, Resilience and Success here:

Visit the website The Book on Communication here:

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You may believe you are a good communicator. But it takes more than talking, doesn't it? Sending an email, sharing information, or having a conversation doesn't necessarily mean we've communicated effectively. When messages are misunderstood, or people feel left out, the consequences can damage relationships and erode trust.

In this episode of the Educators Among Us podcast, host Scott Barron, Chief Reinvention Officer with School Growth, is joined by Tammy Barron to share the story behind their new book, The Book on Communication. They discuss the Laws of the Grapevine and why effective communication requires more than choosing the right words.

They explore the importance of sequence, frequence, and flow, along with the confidence, cultivation, and credibility needed to communicate well. Whether you're leading a school, running a business, or simply trying to communicate better with the people around you, this conversation offers practical lessons you can put to work.

Learn more about The Book on Communication, launching October 21, 2026, at thebookoncommunication.com.

— Communication Is More Than Sending Information. Real communication happens when people establish understanding, not simply when a message is delivered.

— Sequence Matters. Sharing information with the right people in the right order builds trust and can improve results.

— Frequency and Flow Make a Difference. Knowing how often, when, and how to communicate helps your message get through without becoming noise.

— Trust Takes Time. Technology has made communication faster, but building meaningful relationships still requires patience and consistency.

— Stop Doing Damage Control. Frequent misunderstandings, apologies, and unnecessary conflicts may signal that your communication needs improvement.

— Prepare Before a Crisis. Having communication protocols in place helps leaders respond effectively when difficult situations arise.

— Everyone Can Become a Better Communicator. With intentionality and the right tools, anyone can learn to communicate more effectively and strengthen relationships.

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Educators Fellowship is a non-profit organization that encourages educators in their calling and in their faith.

www.educatorsamonguspodcast.com

www.educatorsamongus.com

https://www.edfellowship.org/

Sign up for weekly encouragement messages here:

Buy the book, The Book on Communication: The Laws of the Grapevine for Trust, Resilience and Success here:

Visit the website The Book on Communication here:

Buy the book, Love'em and Lead'em, here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottebarron/

https://www.facebook.com/SchoolGrowth/

https://twitter.com/schoolgrowth

https://www.linkedin.com/company/school-growth

Everybody wants your attention. Emails, social media, announcements, conversations, and a constant stream of information compete for a few moments of your day. For educators, that creates a particular challenge. How do you capture and sustain the attention of students, parents, colleagues, and the people you lead when everyone is already overwhelmed? And perhaps an even more important question: How well are you paying attention to them?

In this episode of the Educators Among Us podcast, host Scott Barron, Chief Reinvention Officer with School Growth, explores the concept of paying attention. Doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way is enough to stand out. But the real opportunity comes when we use that attention to strengthen relationships, build trust, and better understand the people around us.

Great educators do more than deliver lessons, manage classrooms, or lead organizations. They notice people. They recognize needs, respond to circumstances, and make connections that can change lives in ways they may never fully realize.

— Attention Is a Valuable Asset. With so much competing for everyone's attention, educators must be intentional about earning it and giving it to others.

— You Don't Have to Be Louder to Stand Out. Doing ordinary things in uncommon ways can be more effective than simply communicating more often.

— Paying Attention Builds Relationships. Remembering names, listening carefully, and noticing people help build trust and stronger connections.

— Learn to Read the Room. Great educators notice what people say, what they don't say, and how others are responding.

— Reflection Helps Prevent Problems. Looking back at conversations and decisions can reveal missed signals and opportunities to improve.

— Excellence Requires Attention to Detail. Preparation, consistency, and follow-through often make the difference between good and great.

— What You Measure Reveals What Matters. Understanding how people define success helps reveal their priorities, motivations, and potential sources of conflict.

— What You Measure Reveals What Matters. Understanding how people define and measure success provides insight into their priorities, motivations, and sometimes the real source of conflict.

Chapters

00:41 Introduction

01:43 Paying Special Attention

04:35 Gaining Attention

10:01 The Most Important Accomplishments

14:19 Weekly Encouragement

15:12 A Coaching Question

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Educators Fellowship is a non-profit organization that encourages educators in their calling and in their faith.

www.educatorsamonguspodcast.com

www.educatorsamongus.com

https://www.edfellowship.org/

Sign up for weekly encouragement messages here: https://www.edfellowship.org/home-1

Buy the book, The Book on Communication: The Laws of the Grapevine for Trust, Resilience and Success here

Buy the book, Love'em and Lead'em, here:

Visit the website The Book on Communication here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottebarron/

https://www.facebook.com/SchoolGrowth/

https://twitter.com/schoolgrowth

https://www.linkedin.com/company/school-growth

Our students are carrying things we may never fully see or understand. And when they struggle or resist, we have no way of knowing how close they might actually be to a breakthrough. Our job and our joy is to keep believing when there's little evidence telling us we should. Because the moment we decide to give up could be the moment just before the light finally breaks through.

In this episode of the Educators Among Us podcast, host Scott Barron, Chief Reinvention Officer with School Growth, reminds educators that we don't always know what is happening beyond what we can see right now. The same is true of our own growth, the people around us and especially the students we serve.

Setbacks, rejection, friction and failure can make it difficult to see possibility, but educators have the opportunity to look beyond someone's past and believe in what could still be ahead. Humility reminds us that we don't control everything, while hope allows us to keep believing and doing the work anyway.

Keep believing. Keep encouraging. Keep doing the work. And most importantly, don't give up.

— Don't mistake what you see for what is possible. A lack of visible progress today doesn't mean something meaningful isn't developing beyond your view.

— Refuse to give up on yourself. Setbacks and rejection can obscure your own gifts and goals, but they don't erase your ability to grow and accomplish meaningful things.

— See people through their possibilities. Past mistakes, friction and failure can shape how we view others, but educators have the opportunity to see beyond what has already happened.

— Keep believing in students. Resistance, confusion and failure are not necessarily the end of the story. Sometimes students need someone willing to believe longer than they do.

— Pair hope with humility. Humility allows us to accept what we cannot control while hope keeps us focused on what may still be possible.

— Encouragement matters most in the darkness. "I believe in you" can carry extraordinary weight when someone is struggling and success still feels far away.

— Be willing to wait for the light. Breakthroughs don't always arrive on our timetable. Persistence means continuing the work even when we can't yet see the outcome.

Chapters

00:42 Introduction

02:27 Knowing What We Want

03:10 Missed Opportunities

05:29 Refuse to Give Up

07:50 Childlike Faith

10:20 Weekly Encouragement

11:29 A Coaching Question

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Educators Fellowship is a non-profit organization that encourages educators in their calling and in their faith.

www.educatorsamonguspodcast.com

www.educatorsamongus.com

https://www.edfellowship.org/

Sign up for weekly encouragement messages here:

Buy the book, Love'em and Lead'em, here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottebarron/

https://www.facebook.com/SchoolGrowth/

https://twitter.com/schoolgrowth

https://www.linkedin.com/company/school-growth

Students learn far more from educators than what appears in a lesson plan. They notice how adults respond to pressure, handle conflict, adapt to change, keep commitments, and treat the people around them. Long after specific lessons are forgotten, the example set by an educator can continue shaping a student's choices and expectations.

In this episode of the Educators Among Us podcast, host Scott Barron, Chief Reinvention Officer with School Growth, explains why credentials and experience alone don't separate the highest contributors from everyone else. Attitude and the habits that shape it, often make the difference, every time.

Students are constantly watching how the people around them set goals, take risks, persevere through difficulty, and respond when circumstances change. Excellent schools are built by talented, energized, engaged educators who consistently show up and faithfully deliver, all of the time, not just some of the time. Attitude is a choice.

— Attitude is one of the greatest distinguishing factors among educators. Experience and credentials matter, but attitude often determines how someone contributes to the mission and culture of a school.

— Every educator is a leader, regardless of title. Every adult in a school has influence through the choices they make and the example they set.

— Students are learning from how adults handle real life. Conflict, change, frustration, risk, and perseverance all become opportunities to model something worth following.

— The habits of an educator eventually become part of the culture of a school. Consistency, follow-through, growth, and perseverance influence more than individual performance.

— Great schools are built by people who consistently show up well. Excellence grows from educators who are engaged, energized, professional, and dependable.

— Educators have more influence than they may ever fully see. Students remember the people who believed in them, challenged them, and demonstrated a better way forward.

Chapters

00:41 Introduction

02:42 Patterns of Distinction

03:58 Influential Educators Among Us

05:09 Modeling Attitude

08:04 Never-Ending Influence

10:15 Weekly Encouragement

10:54 A Coaching Question

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Educators Fellowship is a non-profit organization that encourages educators in their calling and in their faith.

www.educatorsamonguspodcast.com

www.educatorsamongus.com

https://www.edfellowship.org/

Sign up for weekly encouragement messages here:

Buy the book, Love'em and Lead'em, here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottebarron/

https://www.facebook.com/SchoolGrowth/

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/school-growth

Grief has a way of changing our perspective. In the middle of busy schedules, responsibilities, relationships, and the daily demands of education, it can be easy to lose sight of how limited our time really is. Loss interrupts that pace. It reminds us that the people around us matter, the words we leave unsaid matter, and how we choose to spend our days matters.

In this episode of the Educators Among Us podcast, host Scott Barron, Chief Reinvention Officer with School Growth, reflects on the difficult season of grief being experienced by several educators and school communities. Drawing from his own experiences with loss and the experiences of leaders he knows, Scott explores the unique responsibility educators carry when tragedy touches a school.

Education is about far more than curriculum. Schools are communities where people celebrate together, struggle together, mourn together, and ultimately learn how to navigate life together. Ultimately, numbering our days is about gaining the wisdom to live intentionally now. That means recognizing the danger of unresolved conflict, expressing appreciation while there is still time to say it, investing in relationships, and remembering what deserves our limited attention.

— Trust is oxygen. Strong school communities depend on relationships built through both joyful and painful seasons.

— Grief brings perspective. Loss confronts us with the limits of time and changes how we see the life in front of us.

— The dash holds a lifetime. The years between birth and death contain relationships, influence, struggles, adventures, and legacy.

— Busyness can distort priorities. A frantic pace can make important things feel ordinary and distractions feel important.

— Wisdom recognizes limits. Numbering our days means understanding that time is finite and treating it accordingly.

— Relationships cannot wait forever. Unresolved conflict and unspoken appreciation take on different meaning when we remember that opportunities are limited.

— Brokenhearted is not broken. Grief and resilience can exist together as people mourn, love, lead, and continue forward.

Chapters

00:42 Introduction

02:10 Difficult Seasons

06:47 Our own Mortality

09:09 Embrace the Moment

12:44 Weekly Encouragement

13:28 A Coaching Question

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Educators Fellowship is a non-profit organization that encourages educators in their calling and in their faith.

www.educatorsamonguspodcast.com

www.educatorsamongus.com

https://www.edfellowship.org/

Sign up for weekly encouragement messages here:

Buy the book, Love'em and Lead'em, here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottebarron/

https://www.facebook.com/SchoolGrowth/

https://twitter.com/schoolgrowth

https://www.linkedin.com/company/school-growth

Schools spend a lot of time thinking about better instruction, stronger programs, new strategies, and improved student outcomes. But even the right strategy can fall short when the culture isn't strong enough to support it. Sustainable excellence depends on the people doing the work together, the trust they build, and the habits that shape how they respond when things don't go according to plan.

In this special episode of the Educators Among Us podcast, host Scott Barron, Chief Reinvention Officer with School Growth, welcomes Todd Driver, at Livingstone Adventist Academy to the program. They explore what it takes to intentionally build a culture capable of supporting excellence in schools.

Excellence grows through consistent habits, honest relationships, a willingness to learn from mistakes, and leaders who recognize they don't have to figure everything out alone. Ultimately, developing a stronger team creates a better experience for the students and families educators are called to serve.

— Culture Enables Strategy: Strong instructional approaches need a healthy culture capable of supporting them.

— The Team Drives the Outcomes: Developing excellent educators creates the conditions for stronger student experiences and results.

— Trust Strengthens Leadership: Intentional relationships and professional vulnerability help create cohesive teams.

— Excellence Is Built Through Habits: Consistent leadership disciplines have more lasting influence than ambitious goals alone.

— Mentorship Shortens the Learning Curve: Experienced coaches and mentors allow leaders to benefit from lessons others have already learned.

— Failure Fuels Improvement: Mistakes become valuable when teams use them as opportunities to learn and improve.

— Vision Creates Direction: A shared picture of excellence gives individual effort and continuous improvement a common purpose.

Chapters

00:44 Introduction

02:08 Meet Todd Driver

03:24 An Impactful Educator

04:39 Pathway into Education

11:58 Prioritizing Culture in Schools

15:30 Building a Culture to Implement Instruction

18:38 Advice for Leaders

21:53 Sharing Vision and Measuring Results

27:58 Learning from Mistakes

29:55 Final Thoughts

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Educators Fellowship is a non-profit organization that encourages educators in their calling and in their faith.

www.educatorsamonguspodcast.com

www.educatorsamongus.com

https://www.edfellowship.org/

Sign up for weekly encouragement messages here:

Buy the book, Love'em and Lead'em, here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottebarron/

https://www.facebook.com/SchoolGrowth/

https://twitter.com/schoolgrowth

https://www.linkedin.com/company/school-growth

Educators wear a lot of hats. Teacher. Leader. Colleague. Mentor. Board member. Parent. Friend. The challenge is handling all those responsibilities, while knowing which hat belongs in which situation, what that role requires of you, and when it's time to take a hat off altogether.

In this episode of the Educators Among Us podcast, host Scott Barron, Chief Reinvention Officer with School Growth, explores the importance of role clarity in education and why constantly switching between responsibilities can create confusion, frustration, and eventually burnout.

Great educators are capable of doing many things, but expecting talented people to continually juggle unclear or overlapping responsibilities can undermine the very excellence schools are trying to achieve.

Ultimately, wearing multiple hats requires discipline, boundaries, wisdom, and an understanding of the commitments that come with each role.

— Role clarity matters. People perform better when responsibilities, authority, and accountability are clearly understood.

— Too many hats create friction. Even talented educators struggle when expectations become unreasonable or roles continually overlap.

— Vagueness damages culture. Unclear expectations invite frustration, confusion, and unnecessary tension.

— Multitasking has a cost. Constantly shifting responsibilities makes it harder to focus, think deeply, and work strategically.

— Boundaries protect relationships. Different roles carry different responsibilities, and knowing where one ends and another begins matters.

— Trust depends on clarity. Confusion around authority and accountability can quickly weaken organizational trust.

— Rest requires taking the hat off. Sustainable leadership includes knowing when to disconnect, recuperate, and leave work responsibilities behind.

Chapters

00:39 Introduction

02:36 Switching Hats

03:29 The Hazards of Hatmaking

05:50 Too Many Hats

10:30 Mediocrity Amongst the Talented

12:50 Weekly Encouragement

14:24 A Coaching Question

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Educators Fellowship is a non-profit organization that encourages educators in their calling and in their faith.

www.educatorsamonguspodcast.com

www.educatorsamongus.com

https://www.edfellowship.org/

Sign up for weekly encouragement messages here:

Buy the book, Love'em and Lead'em, here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottebarron/

https://www.facebook.com/SchoolGrowth/

https://twitter.com/schoolgrowth

https://www.linkedin.com/company/school-growth

Mistakes happen. Plans fall apart. Someone misses the mark, says the wrong thing or simply doesn't deliver what we expected. In those moments, the mistake itself matters less than what happens next. The way we respond can turn an uncomfortable interruption into something beautiful, a moment someone remembers for the rest of their life.

In this episode of the Educators Among Us podcast, host Scott Barron, Chief Reinvention Officer with School Growth, reflects on the story of jazz legends Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis, and a performance when Hancock played the wrong chord during a Miles Davis solo. Instead of reacting to the mistake, Davis adjusted what he played and made the unexpected chord work. As Hancock later described it, Davis found a way to "turn poison into medicine."

That same opportunity exists in schools every day. A student makes a mistake. A colleague drops the ball. Communication breaks down. Leaders can embarrass someone, assign blame or make the situation worse. Or they can adapt to what actually happened and help create a path forward.

— Mistakes are inevitable. Leadership is revealed by what we choose to do after something goes wrong.

— Adapt to what is. Fighting for what should have happened can keep us from seeing what can happen next.

— Protect the person. Correcting a mistake doesn't require embarrassing the person who made it.

— Keep your composure. Staying grounded gives you the ability to respond thoughtfully instead of making the situation worse.

— Turn poison into medicine. An unexpected problem can become an opportunity to create something better.

— Choose mercy. Grace shown in a difficult moment can strengthen relationships long after the mistake is forgotten.

— Help each other recover. Strong communities are built by people willing to pick one another up when they fall.

Chapters

00:41 Introduction

02:23 Making Mistakes

05:10 Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock

08:04 Adapting

10:23 Choosing Life As It Is

13:35 Weekly Encouragement

14:38 A Coaching Question.

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Educators Fellowship is a non-profit organization that encourages educators in their calling and in their faith.

www.educatorsamonguspodcast.com

www.educatorsamongus.com

https://www.edfellowship.org/

Sign up for weekly encouragement messages here:

Buy the book, Love'em and Lead'em, here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottebarron/

https://www.facebook.com/SchoolGrowth/

https://twitter.com/schoolgrowth

https://www.linkedin.com/company/school-growth

Credibility takes time to build, but it can be damaged in a moment. A careless story, an exaggeration, a promise we don't keep, or words spoken without enough thought can cause people to question whether they can trust us. And for educators and leaders, those credibility gaps have real consequences.

In this episode of the Educators Among Us podcast, host Scott Barron, Chief Reinvention Officer with School Growth, takes a closer look at credibility and the responsibility that comes with our words. As educators and leaders, people are constantly learning something from the way we communicate, the stories we tell, and whether our actions consistently match what we say we value.

Would people say we deliver on our promises? Are our words and actions consistent? Do we accept responsibility for our decisions? Do we communicate with wisdom? Credibility is earned through the accumulated experiences people have with us.

— Credibility is essential for educators and leaders because people have to trust the messenger before they can fully trust the message.

— Integrity is demonstrated by practicing our values consistently, not simply putting those values on a website or displaying them on a wall.

— Credibility is built through everyday behaviors such as keeping promises, accepting responsibility, communicating wisely, and making sure our words match our actions.

— The stories we tell affect how others judge our credibility, which makes accuracy and honesty especially important.

— Not every story is ours to tell. Discernment means recognizing when sharing someone else's story could become gossip or violate their trust.

— Sarcasm, exaggeration, gossip, and careless words can create credibility gaps that cause people to manage around us rather than rely on us.

— Credibility gaps can be repaired by acknowledging where trust has been damaged, restoring relationships, seeking or giving grace, and becoming more intentional with our words.

Chapters

00:40 Introduction

02:32 Sharing Your Story

05:42 Foundational Integrity

08:03 Our Credibility Rating

09:23 Essential Credibility

12:31 Weekly Encouragement

13:38 A Coaching Question

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Educators Fellowship is a non-profit organization that encourages educators in their calling and in their faith.

www.educatorsamonguspodcast.com

www.educatorsamongus.com

https://www.edfellowship.org/

Sign up for weekly encouragement messages here:

Buy the book, Love'em and Lead'em, here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottebarron/

https://www.facebook.com/SchoolGrowth/

https://twitter.com/schoolgrowth

https://www.linkedin.com/company/school-growth