Category Archives: Leadership
Critical Friends / Supportive Peers
Leadership can be tricky and challenging. Leadership can also be isolating and lonely. I’ve been thinking a lot about how leaders receive feedback. To me, it is important to have critical friends, those trusted personal friends or colleagues who are … Continue reading
My Coaching Beliefs
I have recently been reading The Art of Coaching by Elena Aguilar. It is a great resource and in fact I purchased a copy for each of the coaches in our district, to use as a book study throughout our … Continue reading
Hiking and the Common Core
What do hiking and the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have in common? I recently returned from my first visit to Yosemite National Park, where I spent three days hiking some intense trails! As I reflected on my sore muscles … Continue reading
Consensus
Our district’s summer professional learning is well under way. Teachers have an opportunity to learn about our new Common Core Units of Study and to collaboratively plan as grade level teams. One whole portion of the first day is dedicated … Continue reading
Professional Collaboration
I am one of the moderators of the west coast edition of #satchat (along with @burgess_shelley, @drjolly and @DCulberhouse), originally started by @ScottRRocco @bcurrie5 and @wkrakower. Every Saturday at 7:30 EST and PST educational leaders join us for discussions about … Continue reading
Coming from a place of strengths (and acknowledging differences)
Do you know your own personal and professional strengths? Do you begin your work with a focus on what you are good at, or where you need improvement? When you come into a meeting or a collaboration with colleagues, is … Continue reading
Questions without easy answers
“Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.” ~ W. Edward Deming Is your system getting the results you want? Are all of your students achieving at high levels? Are all of your teachers using the best … Continue reading
Reflective questions
I have recently spoken with a few colleagues about the importance of asking reflective questions. I used to think that part of my role as a coach and an administrator was to make sure to share as much information with … Continue reading
What I’m reading these days
Since I am doing a TON of reading for my three doctoral courses this, leaving little time to write new posts lately, I decided to share some quick thoughts on what I am reading. – School Leadership that Works by … Continue reading
Intentional Leadership
“In order for a shared vision to impact the day-to-day work of people throughout an organization, its members must be able to understand how their work contributes to a larger purpose. So effective leaders constantly remind people of the significance … Continue reading
Reflections on Leadership and Learning 