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

One of my favorite college education professors would often start class with a provoking question. As we would grapple with how to answer and/or support our positions, he would stand there with his large hands lifted in the air, his voice booming, “Disequilibrium is the beginning of education!” It took me a while to figure […]

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In this episode, I sit down with Shawn Sheehan and talk about the lessons from his life, teaching, and advocacy for education. Shawn is the 2016 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year and was a finalist for National Teacher of the Year. He is an Algebra I teacher from Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma. He […]

The post PMP:045 Shawn Sheehan “Teach Like Me” (Lessons in Risk, Failure and Wow) appeared first on Principal Matters.

Today I’ve decided to take a break from a focus on school leadership and share some simple joys of life. During Thanksgiving Break, I took time to record a couple of songs that I decided to include in today’s bonus podcast track. My wife and I have four children: 3 girls and 1 boy. This […]

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This week’s podcast episode is an encore recording of one of my favorite growing-up stories. As you listen, I hope you take time to remember your own good memories. As we approach Thanksgiving, I hope you are taking time to recharge your batteries and invest time with friends and family. Thanks for doing what matters!Here […]

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I remember my first year of teaching when I walked into a boy’s bathroom that was reeking of smoke. A couple of boys were standing at the urinals when one of them dropped a lit cigarette at his feet. I didn’t know his name, but I told him to grab his bag and follow me […]

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The European Space Agency’s historical comet landing of the spacecraft Rosetta in 2014 was an amazing feat I share about in this week’s podcast. First of all, imagine organizing a team of scientists and space engineers who design and launch a spacecraft with the goal of intersecting with a comet 500 million kilometers from Earth. […]

The post PMP:043 Lessons from a Comet Landing (What Can We Accomplish Together?) appeared first on Principal Matters.

Recently I was asked to be a guest presenter for an undergraduate education class at Bartlesville Wesleyan University, a college not too far from my high school. At the end of my presentation, I asked four students if I could interview them for a podcast episode. I had two goals in this conversation: 1. I […]

The post PMP:042 The Future of Education (A Conversation with Undergraduates) appeared first on Principal Matters.

When I was boy, my dad bought a long, green Pontiac station wagon. Long before the creation of the mini-van, it was the car of choice for a large family. We spent countless of hours of my childhood driving from the West Coast to the Mississippi River and back during his Navy years.After we had […]

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Last week when I was hosting a webinar for school leaders, an overwhelming number of responses were made about the challenges of overcoming apathy. How does a leader initiate positive changes when others resist, don’t seem to care, or only comply half-heartedly?There’s so much to unpack in that question. In this podcast, I try to […]

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Last weekend I traveled with my son, Jack, and his Cub Scout pack to a joint campout with an older Boy Scout troop. It was a perfect October weekend: 70’s with sun and breeze; evening temperatures in the 50’s—cold enough that a sleeping bag was the perfect cocoon for tent sleeping.Although Jack and I have […]

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