Show Title: Make Every Moment Count with POY Jason Johnson

Power Quote: Make Every Moment Count

Teaser:

The R word – relationships. Sometimes it feels like we talk about it too much but not enough. It doesn’t make sense, but I hope you know what I mean. In a digital world, it feels like relationships are an analog concept, but I think they are more important now than ever.

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Show Intro

It’s not too early to think about summer. No. not the vacation, the learning that can happen. The team at Summer Pops are educators with a passion for preventing the backwards summer slide in math, and Summer Pops is a unique and engaging approach to summer enrichment. I encourage you to connect with Summer Pops for free workbook samples. Go to summerpopsworkbooks.com to get your free copy and of course, the link is in the show notes.

Guest Bio:

Jason M. Johnson is the 2025 North Carolina Principal of the Year and serves as Principal of Orange High School in Hillsborough, NC. With over 28 years in public education, he has led impactful change in both middle and high school settings. Under his leadership, Orange High exceeded academic growth in 2023–2024 and 2024-2025 and improved its state performance grade from a C to a B. A proud NC A&T alumnus, Johnson holds graduate degrees from UNC Greensboro. He has served as Executive Director of Schools, School Transformation Coach (NC Department of Instruction), and principal of multiple schools, and he sits on several advisory boards and state leadership associations. Johnson believes in equity, opportunity, and high expectations. He is married to Heather and is the proud father of Jason, Addison, Ava, and Aidan.

Warmup questions:

• We always like to start with a celebration. What are you celebrating today?
• Is there a story that will help listeners understand why you are doing what you do?

Questions/Topics/Prompts

• “It’s all about relationships” is a popular phrase and you spoke eloquently about relationships in your session this past December at NCPAPA. Can we go deep on relationships?
• When we talk about “relationships” what do we actually mean? What are the indicators of healthy professional relationships?
• Why are relationships so important? Has their importance changed from when you were early in your career?
• Many administrators wind up leading the school they taught in, which leads to some complicated relationships. Thoughts?
• How do you sustain a school that is too big (literally has too many people for you to know them all)? How do you build powerful relationships in a time with increased turnover?

Sponsor Spot 2:I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast…
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Closing questions:

• What part of your own leadership are you still trying to get better at?
• If listeners could take just one thing away from today’s podcast, what would it be?
• Before we go, is there anything else that you’d like to share with our listeners?
• Where can people learn more about you and your work…

Summary/wrap up

• Remind your teachers they can be a hero to kids – Look for strengths - one sentence matters
• Remind yourself you can be a hero to your teachers (not by fixing but by supporting)
• Make every moment count (cv=every moment matters)

Special thanks to the amazing Ranford Almond for the great music on the show. Please support Ranford and the show by checking out his music!

• Ranford’s homepage: https://ranfordalmond.com
• Ranford’s music on streaming services: https://streamlink.to/ranfordalmond-oldsoul
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ranfordalmond/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ranfordalmond/

Sponsor Links:

IXL: http://ixl.com/assistant 

Kaleidoscope Adventures: https://www.kaleidoscopeadventures.com/the-assistant-principal-podcast-kaleidoscope-adventures/

Close

• Leadership is a journey and thank you for choosing to walk some of this magical path with me.
• You can find links to all sorts of stuff in the show notes, including my website https://www.frederickbuskey.com/
• I love hearing from you. If you have comments or questions, or are interested in having me speak at your school or conference, email me at [email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn.
• If you are tired of spending time putting out fires and would rather invest time supporting and growing teachers, consider reading my book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose. The book is available on Amazon. You can find links to it, as well as free book study materials on my website at https://www.frederickbuskey.com/reclaiming-purpose.html 
• Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review the podcast.
• Remember the secret to good leadership:
  • Be intentional in choosing how you will show up for others
  • Be fully present
  • ...