The Assistant Principal Podcast

Win the Morning, Win the Day with Johnathan Cranford

Description:

If your ISS program runs like clockwork and results in increased academic achievement and fewer misbehaviors, then feel free to skip today’s episode. If you attend one of the 99% of schools that struggle to fully leverage ISS, you will profit from investing some time in today’s show.

Guest Bio:

Johnathan has seven years of experience as a special education teacher at a therapeutic campus for students with severe emotional disturbance and five more years as an in-school suspension teacher at two middle schools. After discovering how in-school suspension programs are failing to meet the needs of our most at-risk students, Johnathan created a trauma informed in-school suspension program to address the current disciplinary, academic, and SEL requirements of our student populations. After successfully establishing ISS programs on multiple campuses, he created a roadmap for others to follow in his book The Art of In-School Suspension, and recently released a digital training to help schools transform their in-school suspension programs from a holding tank to an intervention for both behavior and academics.

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

·      ISS is great in theory but often not in practice. Before we dive into the elements of making ISS a positive thing, what is the mindset shift that school leaders and teachers need to make?

·      Run through the list of ten elements

·      We can hone in on some of them

·      Explicit “next steps” for school leaders (fine to promo your course and book)

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…

Sponsorship:

I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast…

Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. 

IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. 

And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. 

It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit http://ixl.com/assistant to get started.

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 so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.

·      My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now 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.

·      Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.

·      Cheers!

Guest links:

If you have any links you would like us to share, please add them below.

Website: www.theartofiss.com

Training Link

Book on Amazon

Frederick’s Links:

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting

Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

The Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

Silence is Golden

Show Description:

I teased this show on this morning’s daily email message, in which I suggested I might release a podcast episode that was all silence, to drive home the message that when it comes to helping people reflect, our silence is golden. Of course, the point would be lost if it was only silence as many listeners may not make the connection. That said, be forewarned, there are several chunks of silence in this episode. You see, I wanted to give plenty of time for today’s special guest to reflect. And that special guest, is you! Are you ready to be coached? Let’s go.

Celebrations: Crickets. Seriously. I’ve included their subtle chirps into today’s episode so you know we are still rolling 🤣

The Big Idea

Silence is golden because it is rare. 

You likely give out more advice than silence. That isn’t meant to be a dig, just a reflection of our society’s expectation that our leaders will be problem solvers and should always have the answer. Or at least an answer 😉

When you ask the reflective question, it is the silence that invites the answer.

Just be quiet.

In case nobody has coached you recently, I thought it would be great to provide YOU with an opportunity to reflect. I am actually going to do two rounds with you today, and here’s how it will work:

·      I will give you a prompt on what to use as the subject of our coaching session

·      I will ask you what went well,

·      If there were any surprises,

·      And if there is anything you would do differently

·      After each question, I will play 90 seconds of crickets.

·      Then we will do a quick debrief and then do one more round.

I’m completely serious in doing this and there will be no surprises.

I hope you are super-excited at being given an opportunity to reflect. Being transparent, I’m also a bit nervous that you might think this is a waste of time and be reaching for your phone even now. Before you turn me off, please ask yourself two questions:

1.     If you won’t reflect now, then when?

2.     What have you got to lose?

Okay, that’s enough of a sales pitch. Take a deep breath. Let’s go…

My colleague, welcome to the show. I’m so glad you are here, because the truth is that without you, there is no show!

I’d like you to think of a recent event or situation for which your leadership played an important role in achieving a positive outcome. (repeat and pause).

Ask the three questions…

Debrief:

·      Did it feel good to reflect on what went well?

·      Did you examine the event from a different perspective when I asked about surprises?

·      Did you end early, but then “fill the silence” with additional reflection?

·      Did 90 seconds seem like a long time?

·      Do you understand the situation more deeply now than you did five minutes ago?

·      Did you identify anything you might do differently?

·      Notice I did not paraphrase. Yes that sounds silly given the situation, but this is a serious point. Many of us have had it drilled into us that paraphrasing shows we understand and are listening. It does, but that isn’t the point of 5-mc. It doesn’t matter if we understand, it only matters that they understand. That understanding grows in the quiet space, and as soon as I begin paraphrasing, I have taken that space away. No paraphrasing. Shhhh…

Let’s do one more. This time, I’d like you to think of a situation in which your leadership was important, but things did not turn out as you planned. Maybe they turned out differently, maybe poorly, choose whatever you are comfortable with. Ready?

 I know things didn’t go as planned, but tell me…

Ask the three questions

Debrief:

·      Because things didn’t go as you hoped, you’ve likely already reflected on this event, but it was probably focused on what went wrong.

·      I hope in noting what went well, you were able to feel a bit better about the situation. Stating the positives may also have helped you do a more realistic reflection on the entire situation, and/or approach it from a more productive perspective.

·      Even if you have reflected before on this situation, you likely had not thought about from the surprise perspective. What did you glean from this?

·      Finally, I’m wondering how the identification of what you might do differently impacts your perception of the entire situation. Maybe one change would have made a big difference. Maybe there is nothing you could have done to change the outcome.

*Insert conclusion music

I hope the moments of quiet were valuable for you. I hope you experienced the power of silence. Most importantly, I hope you are committed to sharing this powerful gift with others.

Before we go, I have two questions for you.

First, what part of your own leadership are you trying to get better at?

Finally, who will you coach today?

Thanks for being my special guest today, you have been and continue to be amazing!

Summarizing (The big takeaway)

Sponsorship:

I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast…

Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. 

IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. 

And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. 

It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit http://ixl.com/assistant to get started.

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.

·  ...

#224: The Power of Reflection

Show Description:

We are over half-way through the Good Enough October Challenge. Remember, the big idea here is that you don’t have to be a great leader, you just need to be good enough. Specifically, good enough leaders consistently help the people around them grow by doing four simple things:·      Intentionally choosing to show up·      Being fully present·      Asking reflective questions·      Listening to the answers. Choose, Be, Ask, Listen. If you do those things consistently, you will help the people around you grow, and that is leadership that is good enough, because better teachers = better outcomes for kids. Today we’ll recap where we’ve been and dive into my favorite part of the process – asking reflective questions!

Celebrations: SCATA

Recapping where we are in the Good Enough October Challenge

The Big Idea

Began with three perspective shifts:

·      Perspective shift #1: They know more than you

·      Perspective shift #2: You aren’t very good at coaching people

·      Perspective shift #3: Reflection is enough

Choosing to show up

·      We can choose to show up as our best self

·      We can “not choose” how we show up, with varying results

·      We all face barriers that can make it difficult to be intentional

·      The choice we make is not as important as making the choice. (example)

·      It is good enough that you make the choice.

Being fully present

·      Say their name

·      Look at them

·      And think, “this is the most important person in the world at this moment.”

New Content

Asking reflective questions

·      The role of reflection in growth (the cube of development)

·      The three 5-minute coaching questions

·      5-mc demo

o   You can hear her voice brighten when she reflects on what’s going well

o   Hear the pause and then puzzling out the possible explanation for a student’s hesitancy to dig more deeply

o   Differently: “I need to give them more time to find their voice… have I cut too much out of their time?” – this is something worth coming back to or at least listening for in the future. There might be a worthwhile discussion to be had about the value of content versus the value of voice. Also, I hope you could hear that this awareness was unfolding as we did the session. 

o   I don’t give much reaction, I could be more affirming, but there is a danger as too much affirmation can feel like we are approving and approving means we are judging, I usually err on the side of “nod and smile” and go light on affirmations.

o   This five minutes created space for her to reflect when she otherwise might not have. The actual coaching session lasted 4:30.

o   Note what Pam says about hew new colleague who had never been asked to reflect on a lesson!

o   **After describe how she paused on surprise and though about different, even though she knew we were going to do this.

·       

·      Check APP for additional demos

o   Examples of Five-Minute Coaching #109

o   Can Frederick Hike and Coach at the Same Time? #201

o    

If you want to go deeper, you can ask these questions:

·      Can you say more about that?

·      What would that look and sound like?

·      Why do you think that is?

Five-minute coaching is great for debriefing a teaching lesson. It can also be used for:

·      Doing a culture check (extending “how are things going?”)

·      Building trust

o   Lean in and Listen with Alex Auriemma #177

§  What is your teaching super-power?

§  What’s the biggest difference between who you are now as a teacher, and who you were when you began?

§  If you could get students to do one thing differently, what would it be?

·      Debriefing a meeting

·      Or a presentation

·      Reviewing a difficult conversation

·      Asking your spouse of significant other about their day

Summarizing (The big takeaway)

Sponsorship:

I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast…

Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. 

IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. 

And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. 

It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit http://ixl.com/assistant to get started.

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:

o   Be intentional in choosing how you will show up for others

o   Be fully present

o   A...

Presence Shouldn’t Wait for Christmas

Power Quote: Once you embrace how valuable your full presence is, you will be more motivated to share it with others.

Description:

This week we continue looking at what it takes to be a good enough leader. Last week we established that being able to consistently observe and work with your teachers to grow their craft is great leadership, but so many of you listening do not have the luxury of observing, post-conferencing, and doing coaching cycles with your teachers. You wind up spending your time on tasks instead of investing time growing your teachers, and we know that not growing your teachers isn’t good enough.  So, if we can’t be great, and we don’t want to be not good enough, that leaves us with one option – to be just good enough. The wonderful thing about being good enough is that it is incredibly simple and takes very little time! Being good enough requires three perspective shifts, and four commitments: ·      Actively choose how you will show up for people·      Be fully present·      Ask reflective questions·      Honor the answers Today I’ll recap the perspectives and the choice we face in every interaction. Then we will dive into what it means to be fully present. Let’s go!

Celebrations:

I’m presenting at SCATA on Wednesday and Thursday (October 23 and 24, 2024). I’m super excited and want to thank my colleague Dr. Anna Brink of Greenville County Schools for providing the opportunity. If you are heading to SCATA, please reach out to me on LinkedIn or show up to my sessions. I’ll be sharing how to build a turnover-proof ILT at 10:30 on both Wednesday and Thursday, and we’ll get some practice with 5-minute coaching on Wednesday at 2:45. Please do connect if you are going to be there!

The Big Idea

Recapping last week:

This is perspective shift #1: They know more than you

Perspective shift #2: You aren’t very good at coaching people

Perspective shift #3: Reflection is enough

Choosing to show up

·      We can choose to show up as our best self

·      We can “not choose” how we show up, with varying results

·      We all face barriers that can make it difficult to be intentional

·      The choice we make is not as important as making the choice. (example)

·      It is good enough that you make the choice.

Choosing to show up consistently takes us to the second step in being good enough: being fully present.

Consistently being fully present unlocks the door to being good enough.

What does full presence look like?

One: Time. It doesn’t need to be long

·      My friend Bill Newsted…

Two: Attention

·      Dr. Jacobs

·      Maggie

·      Natalia Meija: I’m so glad you are here! (episode 147)

Remember the Six Dimensions… time and attention are the most precious resources.

***Insert sponsor***

It’s easy to fake presence by showing up physically, but not being fully focused.

Let’s be real though – the only person we are fooling is ourselves!

Think about the last time you needed to have an important conversation with someone and they were only halfway paying attention. We all know what that looks like. We all know what that feels like. And it isn’t a good feeling.

Once you embrace how valuable your full presence is, you will be more motivated to share it with others.

Establishing full presence is simple.

Say their name.

Look at them, and think, “this is THE most important person in my world right now.”

It isn’t always easy, but it is simple.

Every interaction, you have the opportunity.

Whether you were fully present in your last interaction has no bearing on whether you will be fully present for the next one.

Every interaction is a new beginning.

How beautiful is that?

Summarizing (The big takeaway)

Three perspectives:

1.     They know more than you

2.     You aren’t very good at coaching people

3.     Reflection is enough

Four steps

·      Choose to show up

·      Be fully present

·      Ask reflective questions

·      Honor the answers

Three parts to being present:

·      Say their name

·      Smile

·      Think “this is THE most important person in my world right now.”

Next week we will dig into asking reflective questions. If you listen regularly or subscribe to my daily email, you already know the three most common questions I like to ask, but I’ll include a few others as well. 

And a BIG shout out to Ranford Almond. Our theme music is his amazing song “Old Soul.” To me, the song captures what being a leader is all about. You can find Ranford on Spotify and the link is in the show notes. If you enjoy this show, consider checking Ranford Almond out and following him.

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:

o   Be intentional in choosing how you will show up for others

o   Be fully present

o   Ask reflective questions

o   And then just listen

o   Don’t overcomplicate it, the value is in the listening.

·      Have a great rest of the week!

·      Cheers!

 ...

222: How will you show up?

The Big Idea

What if the person you are trying to grow knows more about what they need than you do?

This is perspective shift #1: They know more than you

●      Stop trying to diagnose what’s wrong

●      Assume people want to be really good at what they do

●      Ask them what outcomes they want to see improve

●      Help them develop the knowledge and skills to get those outcomes

Perspective shift #2: You aren’t very good at coaching people

●      You probably have not had in-depth training on how to coach

●      You probably don’t have a process for coaching

●      You probably don’t have the time and attention needed to consistently follow up on coaching

Perspective shift #3: Reflection is enough

When we think about professional growth, we tend to think of training, but the best way for people to grow is through reflection.

If you can become good at helping people to reflect, you will be a good enough leader.

Choosing to show up

·      We can choose to show up as our best self

·      We can “not choose” how we show up, with varying results

·      We all face barriers that can make it difficult to be intentional

·      The choice we make is not as important as making the choice.

·      It is good enough that you make the choice.

Summarizing (The big takeaway)

Sponsorship:

I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast…

Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. 

IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. 

And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. 

It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit http://ixl.com/assistant to get started.

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:

o   Be intentional in choosing how you will show up for others

o   Be fully present

o   Ask reflective questions

o   And then just listen

o   Don’t overcomplicate it, the value is in the listening.

·      Have a great rest of the week!

·      Cheers!

Frederick’s Links:

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting

Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

The Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

Show Title: What is Leadership? with Mara and Frederick

 Helene Rebuild Collaborative link: https://hurricanehelenewnc.com/gallery 

Description:

Leadership takes many forms. In this episode we discuss some of these different forms. We’ve tried to highlight a variety of ways people lead, especially those leadership forms that aren’t always recognized or valued.

Guest Bio:

Mara Buskey is the Inclusion Strategist at Strategic Leadership Consulting, as well as being Frederick’s daughter and a genuinely bright soul.

Sponsorship:

I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast…

Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. 

IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. 

And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. 

It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit http://ixl.com/assistant to get started.

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 so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.

·      My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now 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.

·      Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.

·      Cheers!

Reach mara at: [email protected]

Frederick’s Links:

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting

Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

The Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

#219 Good Enough October Challenge

If you'd like to donate to Helene relief, here is the link to Lance's team: https://hurricanehelenewnc.com/

Facebook page to learn more: https://www.facebook.com/lance.buskey

Show Description:

The difference between great, good enough, and not good enoughUpdate from AppalachiaMVP show – we’ll see how deep we go!

The Big Idea

Leaders three responsibilities

The Six Dimensions of organizations: support and grow

Urgent versus strategic leadership

Limited time in quadrant2

Great leaders build systems or support

Inadequate leaders are too busy to grow their people

Just growing your people is good enough

• Better people = better school
• Good is the foundation of great

Growing using an MVP

There are four keys to being a good enough leader:

• Autonomy: make intentional choices about how you show up for people
• Consistency: be fully present with people
• Simplicity: ask simple questions that help people reflect
• Fidelity: be true to the process by listening, not talking

This culminates in five-minute coaching

Sponsorship…

Good enough October Challenge: Coach every day!

Simple, right?

• Choose to show up.

• Be fully present.

• Ask a good question.

• Listen.

Are you good enough to do that?

I think you are!

Summarizing (The big takeaway)

Sponsorship:

I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast…

Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. 

IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. 

And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. 

It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit http://ixl.com/assistant to get started.

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 so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.
• My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now 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.
• Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.
• Cheers!

Frederick’s Links:

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/ 

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting 

Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a 

The Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

WNC Links:

Accurate Local News (radio): https://www.bpr.org/ 

Local donation options: https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2024-09-28/list-ways-to-donate-and-help-flood-victims-in-western-north-carolina-after-hurricane-helene

Lance Buskey Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lance.buskey

Lance’s Venmo: Lance-buskey

Frederick’s links:

[email protected]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting/ 

Teacher Evaluation is Broken

Show Description:

Assuming you were a teacher, and assuming you were evaluated from time to time:·      Did your evaluations ever result in termination?·      Did the ever result in you getting a big raise or promotion?·      Were they part of a process that helped you grow into a better teacher?For me, the answers are no, no, and no. If your experience is similar, then we need to ask ourselves, “what’s the point of the teacher evaluation process?”

The Big Idea

·      My experience

·      Teacher evaluation is a broken waste of time

·      Two options:

o   Go through the motions, wasting as little time as possible and doing as little as possible to frustrate teachers

o   Leverage an irrelevant proves by creating some relevancy:

§  Let teachers set a teaching goal before the observation

§  Collaboratively identify the elements of the observation that provide important data related to the goal

§  Focus you observation on the agreed upon elements to the greatest extent possible

§  In a post conference, collaboratively debrief the relevant data and help the teacher develop some strategies and a path for meeting their goal

·      Caveats:

o   If you don’t trust your teachers’ professionalism, there is nothing you can do to help them grow. Except to begin believing your teachers want to enjoy teaching and treating them as if they did.

o   You don’t know as much about your teachers’ teaching as they know about their own teaching.

o   Critical feedback, unasked for, and with a lack of consistent support, is counterproductive. (

o   Acknowledge that past observations may (probably?) have ben traumatic for teachers.

·      Closing thought: Would you leave a job where your principal trusted you, where they helped you continually grow as a leader, and where you increasingly experienced making a positive impact on the people around you?

Summarizing (The big takeaway)

Sponsorship:

I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast…

Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. 

IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. 

And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. 

It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit http://ixl.com/assistant to get started.

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 so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.

·      My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now 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.

·      Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.

·      Cheers!

Frederick’s Links:

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting

Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

The Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

Show Title: O Captain, My Captain with Michael Miller

Power Quote: “Let there be joy!”

Description:

Today’s show is like a voyage. We’ll begin in one port, set a course, examine the voyage, and anchor at our destination. This episode is expansive and there are lots of wonderful insights into leadership. We use the metaphor of being a ship captain, so without further introductions, let’s set sail!

Guest Bio:

Mike (or Michael) Miller has been an educator since 1996 and has held positions in schools from classroom assistant to PE teacher, and from bus driver to principal. He taught second grade and fifth grade students in the classroom as well as elementary PE. He's been an assistant principal in an elementary and intermediate school, and principal in a PK-8th grade school. He's a graduate of UNC and Western Carolina University and is a Tarheel through and through. He is married to his wonderful wife, Kathy and between them they have four children and seven grandchildren. He is now working as an assistant superintendent and cannot wait to support schools from this level.

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

·      In a previous conversation, you used the analogy of the harbor captain. I’ve structured our discussion around the idea of the principal as a boat captain, but before we dig in, can you explain the analogy and why it resonates with you?

·      One paradigm we can use for thinking about leading a school is as a sea voyage. 

o   Leaving port and taking stock of your ship – checking what’s “ship-shape” and where the problems might be.

o   Sailing into stormy weather (or perhaps transitioning form first mate to captain in the midst of a storm). What does leadership need to focus on in rough times, and how do you do that?

o   After the storm, transitioning to high speed and making progress.

o   The next transition – knowing when it is time to head to port and turn the ship over to a new captain.

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…

Sponsorship:

I want to thank IXL for sponsoring this podcast…

Everyone talks about the power of data-driven instruction. But what does that actually look like? Look no further than IXL, the ultimate online learning and teaching platform for K to 12. 

IXL gives you meaningful insights that drive real progress, and research can prove it. Studies across 45 states show that schools who use IXL outperform other schools on state tests. Educators who use IXL love that they can easily see how their school is performing in real-time to make better instructional decisions. 

And IXL doesn’t stop at just data. IXL also brings an entire ecosystem of resources for your teachers, with a complete curriculum, personalized learning plans, and so much more. 

It’s no wonder that IXL is used in 95 of the top 100 school districts. Ready to join them? Visit http://ixl.com/assistant to get started.

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 so consider email me at [email protected] or connecting with me on LinkedIn.

·      My new book, A School Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose, is now 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.

·      Have a great rest of the week, be present for others and, more importantly, take time to reflect and recover so you can continue to live and lead better.

·      Cheers!

Guest links:

Mike Miller’s email: [email protected]

Frederick’s Links:

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.frederickbuskey.com/

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/strategicleadershipconsulting

Daily Email subscribe: https://adept-experimenter-3588.ck.page/fdf37cbf3a

The Strategic Leader’s Guide to Reclaiming Purpose: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CWRS2F6N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520