SEEing to Lead

Kari Pitstick is a 7th grade English Language Arts and math teacher in Illinois. She also coaches track and field. She is the Director of Digital Content for the Teach Better Team. She graduated from Illinois State University in 2015 with a bachelor’s in Middle Level Education, and American College of Education in 2018 with a master’s in Curriculum & Instruction.

Kari has known she wanted to teach at the middle level since she was in middle school herself. One of her main missions is to provide a safe and friendly environment for students to explore their passions as learners and as people.

Kari is an avid reader, spending most of her free time reading and writing, and she hopes to share that passion with all those around her - students and adults, alike!

Key Takeaways:

Making mistakes and learning from them is critical to the learning process and lowering anxiety.

Modeling and being present in the classroom is key for leaders.

It's not just about being visible, it's about being active in what's going on around you.

Start the year off right by getting to know those you lead as people.

It's never too late to go back and build relationships.

Leaders need to make time for the specific thing you want those you lead to embrace.

Hold Ed Camp style staff meetings.

The best way to become comfortable in your own skin is to know the why behind everything that you do.

Stay in Touch:

Twitter

Website

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. 

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Joël began his career as a science and chemistry teacher in 1997 and for the past 15 years has served as a principal, guiding improvement initiatives, and providing instructional leadership to staff and students in elementary, middle, and high schools. 

From 2014 to 2018 he coached French Ontario principals as an Instructional Leader with the CFORP. He supported the development of leadership skills of principals and accompanied school board educational teams on the issue of teaching and learning in the era of global competencies.

Joël is currently Principal / School Efficacy Leader in his school board (at Conseil scolaire public du Nord-Est (CSPNE),) as well as a Provincial Leadership Coach within his professional principals association (at the Association des directions et directionsassistantes des écoles franco-ontariennes.) He is the founder of Inspire Leadership Coaching , and the host of  Inspire Leadership Podcast as well as the podcast This Is Leadership .

Key Takeaways:

• Everyone can be a leader so it's important to make sure you are adding value to those who step forward.
• Look for and develop opportunities to help others improve their leadership skills.
• Create masterminds for administrators and teachers. This will help create collective efficacy.
• One on one meetings are difficult to schedule but incredibly valuable for individual development.
• Collective efficacy is three times more likely to have a positive impact on student learning than any other factor according to John Hattie's research.
• Successful leadership development results in leaders developing others into leaders.
• Leadership development is working when leaders are improving in the process of improvement.
• Effective learning cycles are key to the improvement and development of leaders.

Stay in Touch:

Twitter

Website

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. 

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Dr. Cindi Burnett is the director of possibilities for creativity and education. Like her creativity Focus curriculum for students and teachers, Cindy embraces the creative Life Style that she teaches. You will often find her trying on new ideas, exploring resources to stretch your thinking, and being an advocate for playfulness and humor. Although she loves to research and write about creativity, Cindy is a firm believer in field service. She has 20 years of teaching experience as an academic at the International Center for Studies in Creativity at SUNY Buffalo State where she instructed classes in creative thinking and creative problem-solving.

Cindy is the co-editor of the big questions in creativity book series and co-author of the books weaving creativity into every strand of your curriculum, 20 lessons for weaving creativity into your curriculum, and my sandwich is a spaceship: creative thinking for parents and young children

Some of her projects include: working with Educators to bring creative thinking into the classroom, connecting communities of creative thinkers via social media, and designing and running a massive open online course on everyday creativity. She's the recipient of the president's medal for excellence in teaching in 2018 by SUNY Buffalo State, was Buffalo business first, women of influence 2018 for her work in creativity, and was featured in The New York Times article titled “creativity becomes an academic discipline.”

Cindy has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater, a master of science in creativity and change leadership, and a doctorate of Education in curriculum, teaching, and learning, all of which she uses to help ignite creativity and education around the world. In her spare time, she can be found singing and dancing with her two children, propagating plants, and trying to find the world's best slice of pizza.

Key Takeaways:

Don't ask what you want to do with your life, instead ask what do you want to learn about.

The science of creativity is just as important as the art of creativity because it helps teach others the strategies to become more creative.

Creativity is the generation of novel and appropriate ideas.

Leaders can help educators infuse more creativity into their classroom by reframing what creativity actually is.

Educators by definition are creative because they are problem solvers.

Creativity cannot be treated as an add on it must be infused into the curriculum.

Creativity isn't always about the feel good emotion of success because because there is ambiguity in the process.

Give people a mistake quotient when trying to get them to take risks or be vulnerable with their creativity.

Use creativity boards.

Use teacher superhero capes.

Stay in Touch:

Twitter

Director of Possibilities: http://CreativityandEducation.com

Fueling Creativity in Education podcast: http://fuelingcreativity.podbean.com

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. 

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Alex T. Valencic is an educator, former small business owner, Boy Scout leader, volunteer drug prevention specialist, and geek of all things. Alex has worked as a substitute teacher, fourth grade teacher, and curriculum coordinator Since July 2021, he has been serving as the Professional Learning Coordinator in Freeport, Illinois, organizing summer institutes, new teacher academies, and supporting ongoing professional learning for all staff through a variety of differentiated learning pathways.

Key Takeaways:

• Professional development needs to change from one size fits none to one size fits all.
• Opportunities to educate others are all around us every day.
• Professional learning needs to be all encompassing because education is about so much more than just a teacher in the classroom.
• The branch and growth model and method for individualized professional learning.
• Leaders need to be in classrooms as often as possible on a consistent basis.
• Find a way to get out of your office and be among your teachers and students as much as possible

Stay in Touch:

Twitter

Website

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. 

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Joshua Yeager is a servant leader who strives to be compassionate and loyal while holding a high level of integrity. With fifteen years of dedicated service in the areas of business, education, and leadership, he feels that now is the time to collaboratively be a catalyst of change by providing a high level of quality leadership that increases principal and teacher capacity. Joshua has held many leadership roles in K-12 schools such as teacher, coach, literacy coordinator, assistant principal, special projects, principal, and director of schools. He is currently a PhD candidate in curriculum and instruction with an emphasis in Leadership, at the American College of Education in Indianapolis, Indiana. Joshua has a continued commitment to ensuring that all students and teachers are  competitive at the highest level in a global society. Currently, he resides in Hattiesburg and has one daughter who's a freshman in high school. 

Key Takeaways:

• Teachers will perform to the level that they believe they can perform at if supported.
• You have to become uncomfortable if you are going to continue to grow to your greatest potential.
• Professional development needs to be teacher centric, engaging, and relevant.
• Whole school improvement becomes second nature when teachers are being coached.
• Regular ceremonies to champion teachers and students is essential to building a successful culture.
• Don’t use existing policies as an excuse not to change. They were meant to be adjusted.
• Being visible all day every day is a key to leadership.
• Leadership isn’t about the leader, but instead those they lead. Practicing humility is essential.

Stay in Touch:

Twitter

Website

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. 

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Brian Martin is the host of the Teaching Champions Podcast, but much more than that. He is a Teacher/Student, Speaker/Listener, and Failer/Achiever. Brian’s continuous positive messaging about mindset, learning, gratitude, and how to improve education through twitter is truly inspiring. Brain is consistently lifting educators up. Personally, I found him through that very platform and after reading through his feed knew he would have a ton to offer the listeners of this podcast.

Key Takeaways:

• We need to make a point of both observing and absorbing the good in life.
• Clear messaging and explicit modeling of expectations is how you create a positive atmosphere and culture.
• Make recognizing gratitude a daily practice.
• If you're not making mistakes you're not trying.
• We need to create an environment where risk taking is supported and encouraged.
• It's critical that administrators are more consistently in the classroom to support teachers.

Stay in Touch:

Twitter: @bmartinreal

Teaching Champions Podcast

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. 

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

• School libraries should be hubs for school activity. They should be facilitators of information. Not just the information, but how to access a world of information
• Make sure you include librarians whenever you are making plans for professional development or the improvement of the library.
• Libraries have the ability to tie what is being taught in the classroom with the broader world.
• Libraries are evolving at a faster pace than the perception of the purpose libraries serve.
• It's important to tie your library and all it has to offer with other events that occur in the building.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. 

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

• It's important to let students know that the school they are in is their school.
• It's about helping students to explore who they are and the world around them and then think about the legacy they will leave so they are truly change makers.
• Schools are the center of communities so it's our job to share our value system.
• School is the place where students will interact with people who are different than themselves and need to learn from that experience.
• It's our not our job to teach students what to think, but instead how to think. It all starts by teaching respect.
• It's critical that schools have a value statement that includes equity and standing up for others who are different or marginalized.
• Not talking about or hiding incidents against marginalized groups further marginalize them.
• In order to make progress we have to sometimes admit that we were part of the problem.

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. 

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Matthew Rhoads, Ed.D. is an expert and innovator in educational technology and instructional strategy integration within online, blended, and traditional in-person classroom settings. As a practicing technology leader, trainer, integrationist, and coach in Adult Education, K-12, and Higher Education, he develops EdTech tool integrations with research-based instructional strategies to drive instruction. He also has expertise in instructing teachers and educational leaders on how to utilize data to make data-driven decisions to drive instruction as well as has developed a data literacy curriculum for K-20 educators. Dr. Rhoads publications focus on integrating instructional strategies with EdTech tools to amplify student learning within in-person, online, and blended learning classrooms. His latest books include Instruction Without Boundaries: Enhance Your Teaching Strategies with Technology Tools in Any Setting, Amplify Learning: A Global Collaborative - Amplifying Instructional Design, and Navigating the Toggled Term: A Guide for K-12 Classroom and School Leaders. He also has his podcast, Navigating Education - The Podcast, which discusses all topics related to education and instruction. For more information on Dr. Rhoads and his work, visit his website at www.matthewrhoads.com.

Key Takeaways:

• Technology integration is about building strategies and tools that are effective in multiple situations.
• Technology integration is about building capacity for change to our curriculum in the future.
• You must be focused on research based strategies for instruction prior to inserting technology to deliver that instruction.
• Learning needs to be available to students at any time on multiple platforms
• Clear simple messaging and focused support on a few strategies is the best way to support teachers with new technology integration.
• Creating a platform and environment for teachers to share what they're doing is key to building engagement and empowering.
• The priorities need to be teacher agency and instructional coaching to build capacity.

Stay in Touch:

@MattRhoads1990

Navigating Education - The Podcast

Dr. Rhoads' website

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. 

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Ryan Scott was kind enough to have me as a guest on his Big Ed Idea podcast! We had a great conversation about supporting, engaging, and empowering those you lead!

We’re thrilled to be sponsored by Renaissance and IXL. 

Learn more about Renaissance:

As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com.

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.