Principal Matters: The School Leader's Podcast with William D. Parker

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Principal Matters: The School Leader's Podcast with William D. Parker episodes

April 05, 2017 PMP:060 How Mindfulness Influences Leadership
A few nights ago, I was sitting on the couch with my wife, Missy, when our four children slowly made their way into the living room. Our lives are so busy with three teenage girls and an eleven-year-old boy that we rarely find time to all be together these days. Emily, our oldest, came and […]
The post PMP:060 How Mindfulness Influences Leadership appeared first on Principal Matters.
20 min
April 05, 2017 PMP:060 How Mindfulness Influences Leadership
A few nights ago, I was sitting on the couch with my wife, Missy, when our four children slowly made their way into the living room.
Our lives are so busy with three teenage girls and an eleven-year-old boy that we rarely find time to all be together these days. Emily, our oldest, came and sat on the floor so she could get “mommy scratches” while she played on her iPhone. Mattie, our second oldest, was across the room. She had placed her laptop on the piano bench with a video of dancers from the musical Beauty and the Beast, and she danced along practicing moves.
Katie, our third girl, was on the opposite couch with her guitar. She was playing a version of Hello from the Other Side while Emily was humming harmonies along with her. And then there was Jack with a snack of cheese crackers on the table. With a cracker in his mouth, he was everywhere: sometimes carrying his basketball, moving it between his legs or bouncing it. Or he’d sit on the couch and hum along with the music and then jump back up for another cracker.
Somehow each one of them was in his or her solitary world while sharing the same moment. I just sat back, holding Missy’s hand, soaking in the moment, and feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
Older parents tell me to savor these times because they won’t last for long.
The Power of Mindfulness
Later as I thought about this sweet moment, I was reminded of a recent conversation I heard between Tim Elmore and Britt Andreatta on The Growing Leaders Podcast. Dr. Andreatta is the author of Wired to Grow as well as her newest book, Wired to Resist, which was just published.
Her first book explores the ways learners thrive when adopting patterns that encourage brain engagement. But her second book looks at the instinctive resistance that happens in our brains when confronted with change. In her interview, she explained how organizations that implement change face pressures and difficulties that come with any change initiative. Her research has shown ways leaders can help their teams through change by the following practices:
1. Acknowledging that change is disruptive

2. Nurturing by dialing up self-care

3. Creating a team experience for change

4. Practicing mindfulness
I just ordered Dr. Andreatta’s new book so I’m looking forward to exploring each of those takeaways. But I was especially intrigued by her comments on mindfulness. She explained that mindfulness helps you keep perspective and maintain a positive outlook. As a result of her own research, she has begun mindfulness practices (like meditation) that have changed her own outlook on change.
Mindfulness is a common topic in the psychology of human development. The dictionary defines it like this:
mind·ful·ness

ˈmīn(d)f(ə)lnəs/

noun

1.

the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.

2.

a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.
In a 2015 Psychology Today article, What Is Mindfulness and How Does It Work? Dr. Gregg Henriques, says, “It is readily arguable that the single most significant development in mental health practice since the turn of the millennium has been the widespread emergence of mindfulness-based approa...
20 min
March 29, 2017 PMP:059 How Does Scarcity Affect Your Mindset?
The other morning, on my drive to school with my daughter, I was listening to a story on NPR called The Scarcity Trap: Why We Keep Digging When We’re Stuck in a Hole by Shankar Vedantam. Researchers have determined that when people find themselves consumed with trying to simply survive, they often instinctively operate with […]
The post PMP:059 How Does Scarcity Affect Your Mindset? appeared first on Principal Matters.
16 min
March 29, 2017 PMP:059 How Does Scarcity Affect Your Mindset?
The other morning, on my drive to school with my daughter, I was listening to a story on NPR called The Scarcity Trap: Why We Keep Digging When We’re Stuck in a Hole by Shankar Vedantam.
Researchers have determined that when people find themselves consumed with trying to simply survive, they often instinctively operate with tunnel vision. Sometimes they have poorer judgment. They tend to have a harder time thinking long-term. The urgent often overwhelms other important priorities.
In fact, one study looked at farmers in India who are paid only once a year after harvest. When their behaviors were observed before and after, their ability to make rationale, wise choices dramatically changed when their scarcity was replaced with abundance. Vedantam reports that other research has found that IQ scores actually lower when people test while experiencing scarcity than when experiencing stability.
Scarcity comes in a lot of different forms. For some, it is lack of money or resources. For others it may be lack of time or support. Maybe some people experience emotional scarcity. This doesn’t automatically mean that those who struggle with poverty or other scarcity issues are always less prone to good decisions. But it does shed light on the challenges that scarcity creates for our brains and mindsets.
As school leaders we can see its effects in our own practices or the learning of our students. In my own practice, I can think of ways I’ve seen these forces play out. Even as an experienced administrator, I can still become so overwhelmed with present or urgent requests that I have a difficult time looking beyond the moment and remembering important long-term priorities.
A Quick Look at One Morning
Let me give a quick example from one morning last week when I found myself pinched for time:

* 8:00 AM–I met with a student who needed follow-up from a bus incident. I had already contacted the parent; we resolved the issue, and I sent him to class.
* 8:10 AM-8:50 AM–I visited a classroom and completed a formal teacher observation.
* 8:55 AM–I returned to my office and was reminded of a parent meeting I needed to attend. I was not leading the meeting, but I needed to share some input before moving on to another observation. In the meantime, I signed purchase orders, finished thank you cards, checked email, and talked to two teachers who stopped by.
* 9:30 AM–I stepped into the teacher/parent meeting and then came back to my office to grab notes for my next observation.
* 9:40 AM–I was told about a situation where a teacher needed assistance. I communicated with the teacher and we coordinated a game plan.
* 9:50 AM–I stepped back in the office and saw an email from another teacher with a discipline referral needing admin assistance. My admin team members were not available, so I went to the classroom. This situation required escorting a student to my office for a discipline meeting. I contacted a guardian and completed the necessary paperwork.
* 10:10 AM–I stepped into my next teacher observation late.
* 10:30–While I was writing down notes, I received a text that the guardian in the student discipline had arrived at my office. I ended my observation early and made it to my office. After meeting with the parent, I finished entering more notes in our student information system.
* 10:45 AM–The track team was competing, and I wanted to attend to watch my daughter run, so I grabbed my bag and headed out the door.

When I arrived at the track meet, I was happy to see my daughter run her race. Later, however, when I checked my iPhone, I saw an email from the last teacher I had observed. She thanked me for the visit but told me I had accidentally shared notes with her from the fir...
16 min
March 22, 2017 PMP:058 Triggering the Brain with Wonder
The other day I was talking to our high school choir teacher, when she told me about a fascinating brain study involving music. MIT neuroscientists have discovered that music triggers an auditory cortex of the brain that doesn’t appear to respond to other basic auditory sounds like speech. If our brains have portions that only react […]
The post PMP:058 Triggering the Brain with Wonder appeared first on Principal Matters.
17 min
March 22, 2017 PMP:058 Triggering the Brain with Wonder
The other day I was talking to our high school choir teacher, when she told me about a fascinating brain study involving music.
MIT neuroscientists have discovered that music triggers an auditory cortex of the brain that doesn’t appear to respond to other basic auditory sounds like speech.
If our brains have portions that only react to sounds recognized as music, this leads to an important question: Are we really engaging the brain most effectively if we aren’t exposing it to both left brain (facts, patterns, figures, and information) and right brain activities (creative, imaginative, inspiring ideas)?
The Power of Music Memory
A few years ago when my mother-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, she slowly began losing the ability to track time. Ironically, when I sit down with her at the piano, she can almost perfectly recall the tunes and verses of her favorite hymns. Her short-term and long-term memories often get jumbled, but her music memory is so much more precise.
As an amateur musician, I remember many times when playing the piano has prompted my own creativity in solving problems. In fact, after decades of playing, I can sometimes move along the keys almost instinctively—often feeling like I’m playing with one part of my brain while thinking about something else with another part.
The Art of What You Do
For a long time, we have heard that visual artists engage the right side of their brains more than their left sides when creating, like lessons taught in Betty Edwards’ famous drawing book. The left side of the brain seems more engaged when you are reasoning or problem solving. The discovery of how music triggers a specific part of the brain reinforces how engaging both sides of the brain may help us with teaching and learning.
I often remind new teachers that good teaching involves both science and art. On the one hand, you implement the processes, strategies, and steps necessary to accomplish a task (best practices). On the other hand, you exercise the passion or connection necessary to inspire (creativity). Music may be one other way teachers can engage learners in stimulating understanding, but highly effective teachers always find ways to teach with both sides of the brain.
I believe it’s what you observe in master teachers but can’t always put your finger on–the mix of process and passion often described as “the gift of teaching” or “magic in the classroom” or “light-bulb moments.”
It happens when a math teacher is so entranced in the wonder of the Fibonacci sequence, she not only explains the predictable patterns found in nature but also inspires questions and discussions over the possibilities of intelligent design.
It happens when a teacher of Shakespeare not only helps his students decipher Elizabethan verse until they begin to understand the language but also enthralls them with captivating plots and unavoidable drama so that they keep turning the pages.
It happens when a music teacher trains her students in sight-reading and scales but also teaches them to listen and blend harmonies until they’ve combined sounds into something beautiful that triggers unique parts of the brain.
The Art of Storytelling
One of my favorite pedagogies for engaging both sides of the brain is storytelling. One evening my wife and I had dinner at a restaurant in Tulsa that is run by a local culinary school. The dinner was a gift from when I spoke at their December graduation commencement. After we finished a great meal, we chatted with the head chef who is also an instructor at the school.
He said, “Oh, you are the principal who wrote a book and tells stories. I remember the stories you told.” And then he began telling back to me the very stories and points I had made so many ...
17 min
March 15, 2017 PMP: Encore 05 Caution Lights for the Leadership Journey
Each of us faces different challenges in leadership, and it is important to reflect on the caution lights along the way. This week I wanted to take you back to a podcast episode I shared over a year ago that others have found helpful as they reflect on their own leadership journeys: Caution Lights for […]
The post PMP: Encore 05 Caution Lights for the Leadership Journey appeared first on Principal Matters.
13 min
March 15, 2017 PMP: Encore 05 Caution Lights for the Leadership Journey
Each of us faces different challenges in leadership, and it is important to reflect on the caution lights along the way.
This week I wanted to take you back to a podcast episode I shared over a year ago that others have found helpful as they reflect on their own leadership journeys: Caution Lights for the Leadership Journey. Just like for me, I hope the reflections can help you evaluate where you may have room to grow too.
Here are the show-notes with links:

* I almost left the profession of school leadership after my first couple of years. Chris LoCurto’s blog references a wheel-of-life that makes a good illustration.
* You can see the original blog post that I reference for this podcast at 4 Caution Lights for Leaders.
* The misconception of believing you are superman will result in every other of your life becoming unhealthy.
* Why it’s so important to invest in other areas of your life than just work: Do you find yourself working harder without feeling productive? Are you paying attention to the signposts of good health?
* Good nutrition, exercise and rest can add more value to the way you work.
* Your personal growth and leadership growth cannot be separated.
* Relying on your personal compass (for me that involves my faith) gives you a deeper understanding of why your work matters.
* Focusing on all these areas will provide you with the ingredients you need to keep your leadership effective.

Conclusion
Serving others the way you should only happens when you are taking care of the most important priorities in your life.
Now It’s Your Turn
What is one step you can take today to focus on a priority in your life other than work? Give attention to that area over the next week, and see what kind of effect it has on your overall productivity as a leader.
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Principal Matters–The Book!

School leaders are very busy, so each of the twenty-four chapters is designed as a quick-read and followed with take-action questions for follow-up or reflection. If you want practical ideas on understanding your purpose, managing school teams, dealing with challenges, and leading with courage, action, motivation, and teamwork, go
13 min
March 08, 2017 PMP 057: Why Self-Reflection Matters (Questions to Ask Yourself)
A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I took our oldest daughter, Emily, out to dinner. She turned 18 this year, and we wanted to encourage her in the opportunities and challenges she will be facing as a graduating senior and soon-to-be college student. Previously, I had been reading Tim Elmore’s Generation iY where he shares […]
The post PMP 057: Why Self-Reflection Matters (Questions to Ask Yourself) appeared first on Principal Matters.
20 min
March 08, 2017 PMP 057: Why Self-Reflection Matters (Questions to Ask Yourself)
A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I took our oldest daughter, Emily, out to dinner.
She turned 18 this year, and we wanted to encourage her in the opportunities and challenges she will be facing as a graduating senior and soon-to-be college student.
Previously, I had been reading Tim Elmore’s Generation iY where he shares about three intelligences that help us in conversations with our students and children as they mature:
Emotional intelligence: We need to help them develop their EQ—self awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.

Moral intelligence: We need to coach them toward robust character—personal discipline, secure sense of self, strong positive values. (Perhaps we could call this MQ.)

Leadership intelligence: Finally, we need to encourage clear vision, courage, priorities, big-picture perspective, and planning skills (LQ) (Elmore 209).
During dinner, I asked Emily if I could read through the descriptions and if she could reflect on areas she felt were her strengths and where she thought she still needed to grow. As she self-reflected on different areas, I learned some new insights about her. And I think she may have learned some new insights about herself too.
My Own Self-Assessment
Self-reflection isn’t only good for our children as they grow. It’s good for older learners like you and me. I remember about five years ago when I was talking to a buddy who is twenty years younger than I. He was telling me about the goals he and his wife had set and reached. He was excited about being a young father, starting his own business, and pursuing his dreams. I began to reminisce with him about when I was his age—how my wife and I had paid off debts, bought our first house, started a family.
As he listened, he looked at me with a curious expression and asked, “So that was twenty years ago. What are your goals now?” Suddenly, I was stumped. I realized I didn’t have an answer, and as I stumbled around to find one, I finally looked at him and said, “You know. I think right now I’m just trying to survive.”
When I walked away from that conversation, I was haunted by my response. When was the last time I had self-reflected on new goals for my family and my future? In some ways, I had achieved a lot of my dreams in my career. But where did I want to grow from here?
A few weeks later, I was invited to a weekend men’s retreat with my church. It was a unique agenda: Instead of spending a day together in meetings or activities, our pastor asked us to spend time in solitude, self-reflection and prayer. He gave us a list of questions and goals, and among them these were some that I reflected on:
Reflections:

1. What were the major milestones of the past year (events)?

2. What were the major blessings?

3. Major victories?

4. Major defeats?

5. Major lessons learned?
Goals for this year:

Spiritual

Family

Social

Physical

Vocational
Are your personal goals also SMART goals?

Strategic and specific

Measurable

Attainable

Results-oriented

Time-based
Reflecting and praying about these goals was a great wake-up call for me. In fact, I’d say that was the launching pad for much of the content I have created over the last four years in my blog, books, and presentations. That day was a turning point because it challenged me to embrace a mindset of continuous growth.
To put it simply, self-reflection is a practice that can help you move from a “surviving” mentality to a &...
20 min