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“Be still and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

Episode:
The holiday season hits different in schools — concerts, programs, discipline spikes, evaluations, data cycles, parent emails, and schedule changes. It’s a lot.

But even when the pace is fast, your spirit doesn’t have to be. You can choose stillness even inside a storm. Protecting your peace isn’t selfish — it’s stewardship.

Peace is leadership currency. When you’re calm, it allows everyone else to settle. When you’re overwhelmed, the building feels it instantly.

Power Points:

• Peace is a leadership skill, not a luxury.
• Slowing your spirit helps you respond, not react.
• Chaos outside doesn’t have to become chaos inside.
• Modeling calm reduces building-wide anxiety.

Power Quote:
✨ I will protect my peace so I can lead from a grounded, God-centered place.

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Calling All Educators!

I started a community with resources, courses, articles, networking, and more.

• I am looking for members to help me build it with the most valuable resources.
• I would really appreciate your input as a teacher, leader, administrator, or consultant.

Join here: Empowered Educator Community

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In this episode, Mel breaks down ten high-impact, easy-to-launch family engagement activities that help schools build trust, strengthen relationships, and create meaningful partnerships with families. These ideas work in every school setting — public, private, charter, or Christian — and can be scaled up or down based on your resources. If you’re looking for fresh ways to bring families into the learning experience, this episode gives you the exact blueprint.

What You’ll Learn
How to shift from “events” to purposeful engagement experiences
Activities that promote transparency, trust, and a sense of belonging
Ways to get more families participating without adding stress to your staff
Tips to make engagement more culturally responsive and equitable
How to use student voice and student work to drive participation
Simple steps to build momentum and boost turnout for future events

Stay Connected
Follow Dr. Mel for leadership strategies, instructional mastery tips, and empowerment for educators ready to lead.
Join the Empowered Educator Community on Skool for resources, templates, and professional growth content.

Download Upside and use my code MELINDA35278 to get 15¢ per gallon extra cash back on your first gas fill-up and 10% extra cash on your first food purchase!

Download Fetch app using this link, submit a receipt and we'll both score bonus points.

Calling All Educators!

I started a community with resources, courses, articles, networking, and more.

• I am looking for members to help me build it with the most valuable resources.
• I would really appreciate your input as a teacher, leader, administrator, or consultant.

Join here: Empowered Educator Community

Book: Educator to Entrepreneur: IGNITE Your Path to Freelance Success

Grab a complimentary POWER Session

With Rubi.ai, you'll experience cutting-edge technology, research-driven insights, and efficient content delivery.

email: melinda@empowere...

Send us a text

Download Upside and use my code MELINDA35278 to get 15¢ per gallon extra cash back on your first gas fill-up and 10% extra cash on your first food purchase!

Download Fetch app using this link, submit a receipt and we'll both score bonus points.

Calling All Educators!

I started a community with resources, courses, articles, networking, and more.

• I am looking for members to help me build it with the most valuable resources.
• I would really appreciate your input as a teacher, leader, administrator, or consultant.

Join here: Empowered Educator Community

Book: Educator to Entrepreneur: IGNITE Your Path to Freelance Success

Grab a complimentary POWER Session

With Rubi.ai, you'll experience cutting-edge technology, research-driven insights, and efficient content delivery.

email: melinda@empowere...

Send us a text

Dr. Mel walks through ten research-backed family engagement strategies that help strengthen trust, boost achievement, and change the way families experience your school. Engagement isn’t about “getting parents to show up.” It’s about partnership — real, reciprocal, relationship-centered partnership that helps kids win academically, emotionally, and socially.

Sources

• SchoolStatus — family engagement & communication best practices: https://www.schoolstatus.com/blog
  
  
• ParentPowered — research on family engagement outcomes: https://parentpowered.com/blog/family-engagement
  
  
• U.S. Department of Education — family engagement guidance: https://www.ed.gov/birth-grade-12-education/resources/families
  
  
• New Leaders — relationship-centered engagement research: https://www.newleaders.org/blog/family-engagement
  
  
• Panorama Education — family engagement frameworks: https://www.panoramaed.com/blog/family-engagement-comprehensive-guide
  
  

Download Upside and use my code MELINDA35278 to get 15¢ per gallon extra cash back on your first gas fill-up and 10% extra cash on your first food purchase!

Download Fetch app using this link, submit a receipt and we'll both score bonus points.

Calling All Educators!

I started a community with resources, courses, articles, networking, and more.

• I am looking for members to help me build it with the most valuable resources.
• I would really appreciate your input as a teacher, leader, administrator, or consultant.

Join here: Empowered Educator Community

Book: Educator to Entrepreneur: IGNITE Your Path to Freelance Success

Grab a complimentary POWER Session

With Rubi.ai, you'll experience cutting-edge technology, research-driven insights, and efficient content delivery.

email: melinda@empowere...

Send us a text

Download Upside and use my code MELINDA35278 to get 15¢ per gallon extra cash back on your first gas fill-up and 10% extra cash on your first food purchase!

Download Fetch app using this link, submit a receipt and we'll both score bonus points.

Calling All Educators!

I started a community with resources, courses, articles, networking, and more.

• I am looking for members to help me build it with the most valuable resources.
• I would really appreciate your input as a teacher, leader, administrator, or consultant.

Join here: Empowered Educator Community

Book: Educator to Entrepreneur: IGNITE Your Path to Freelance Success

Grab a complimentary POWER Session

With Rubi.ai, you'll experience cutting-edge technology, research-driven insights, and efficient content delivery.

email: melinda@empowere...

Send us a text

Download Upside and use my code MELINDA35278 to get 15¢ per gallon extra cash back on your first gas fill-up and 10% extra cash on your first food purchase!

Download Fetch app using this link, submit a receipt and we'll both score bonus points.

Calling All Educators!

I started a community with resources, courses, articles, networking, and more.

• I am looking for members to help me build it with the most valuable resources.
• I would really appreciate your input as a teacher, leader, administrator, or consultant.

Join here: Empowered Educator Community

Book: Educator to Entrepreneur: IGNITE Your Path to Freelance Success

Grab a complimentary POWER Session

With Rubi.ai, you'll experience cutting-edge technology, research-driven insights, and efficient content delivery.

email: melinda@empowere...

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In this final episode, Dr. Mel shares how leaders can move beyond coaching cycles to create a living culture of feedback and reflection that keeps engagement thriving. Learn how to build reflective habits, align systems to support growth, and celebrate wins to sustain teacher energy and excellence all year long. 

Download Upside and use my code MELINDA35278 to get 15¢ per gallon extra cash back on your first gas fill-up and 10% extra cash on your first food purchase!

Download Fetch app using this link, submit a receipt and we'll both score bonus points.

Calling All Educators!

I started a community with resources, courses, articles, networking, and more.

• I am looking for members to help me build it with the most valuable resources.
• I would really appreciate your input as a teacher, leader, administrator, or consultant.

Join here: Empowered Educator Community

Book: Educator to Entrepreneur: IGNITE Your Path to Freelance Success

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email: melinda@empowere...

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Modeling and rehearsal are the “secret sauce” of effective instructional leadership. In Episode 3, Mel breaks down how school leaders can coach teachers through modeling, practice, and repetition — simple but powerful strategies that turn new skills into classroom habits.

This episode helps school leaders make coaching more collaborative, more actionable, and more effective — without increasing the workload.

🔑 Key Takeaways

1. Model First — Then Ask Teachers to Try It
   Removes confusion and builds confidence.
2. Rehearsal Builds Skill, Safety, and Speed
   Quick practice cycles help teachers feel prepared before students ever enter the room.
3. Practice Isn’t Extra — It’s the Coaching Method
   Embed practice in normal feedback rhythms to normalize growth.
4. Repetition Builds Mastery Over Time
   Return to moves again and again — reinforce, celebrate, and refine.

Download Upside and use my code MELINDA35278 to get 15¢ per gallon extra cash back on your first gas fill-up and 10% extra cash on your first food purchase!

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Calling All Educators!

I started a community with resources, courses, articles, networking, and more.

• I am looking for members to help me build it with the most valuable resources.
• I would really appreciate your input as a teacher, leader, administrator, or consultant.

Join here: Empowered Educator Community

Book: Educator to Entrepreneur: IGNITE Your Path to Freelance Success

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email: melinda@empowere...

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Episode 2 breaks down the “See It. Name It. Do It.” coaching cycle from Get Better Faster and shows how leaders can deliver high-impact, real-time feedback that quickly improves teacher practice and student engagement.

Perfect for principals, APs, instructional coaches, and leaders looking to build confidence in coaching cycles and classroom walk-throughs.

🔑 Key Takeaways

1. Real-Time Feedback Builds Faster Growth
   You don’t need a full post-conference to make change — micro-feedback works.
2. Observe for Engagement, Not Just Instruction
   Zero in on what students are doing — that’s your coaching target.
3. Use the Feedback Formula: See It → Name It → Do It
   Clear, specific, and practiced feedback is what moves the needle.
4. Practice Matters More Than Telling
   Don’t leave without a rehearsal — even a 30-second one creates muscle memory.

Download Upside and use my code MELINDA35278 to get 15¢ per gallon extra cash back on your first gas fill-up and 10% extra cash on your first food purchase!

Download Fetch app using this link, submit a receipt and we'll both score bonus points.

Calling All Educators!

I started a community with resources, courses, articles, networking, and more.

• I am looking for members to help me build it with the most valuable resources.
• I would really appreciate your input as a teacher, leader, administrator, or consultant.

Join here: Empowered Educator Community

Book: Educator to Entrepreneur: IGNITE Your Path to Freelance Success

Grab a complimentary POWER Session

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email: melinda@empowere...

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n this kickoff episode of Engagement in Action, Dr. Mel lays the groundwork for how school leaders can coach teachers toward authentic student engagement and effective classroom management. Using the frameworks from Get Better Faster (Bambrick-Santoyo) and Teach Like a Champion (Lemov), Mel breaks down how to define, model, and sustain engagement as a leadership practice — not just a teacher strategy.

This episode is designed for principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, and anyone leading teacher growth through feedback and coaching cycles.

Download Upside and use my code MELINDA35278 to get 15¢ per gallon extra cash back on your first gas fill-up and 10% extra cash on your first food purchase!

Download Fetch app using this link, submit a receipt and we'll both score bonus points.

Calling All Educators!

I started a community with resources, courses, articles, networking, and more.

• I am looking for members to help me build it with the most valuable resources.
• I would really appreciate your input as a teacher, leader, administrator, or consultant.

Join here: Empowered Educator Community

Book: Educator to Entrepreneur: IGNITE Your Path to Freelance Success

Grab a complimentary POWER Session

With Rubi.ai, you'll experience cutting-edge technology, research-driven insights, and efficient content delivery.

email: melinda@empowere...