I'm a pretty easy going guy who typically doesn't sweat the small stuff, but on this day I did. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @bkulak11 @bamradionetwork Brian Kulak is the Chief Academic Officer of a K-12 district in NJ. Before that, he taught high school English and journalism for 15 years. He is the founder of leveluplead.com, a teaching and leadership blog and was a featured speaker at NCTE/CEL and ECET2NJPA, and has written for Edutopia and Educational Viewpoints.
Jun 23, 2018•10 min
I was a superintendent elected to lead. I considered my election a mandate and chose not to listen to those who didn't vote for me. This was one of the biggest mistakes I've made in my career. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @Jay_Eitner @bamradionetwork Jay Eitner is the 2015 Educators Choice National Superintendent of the Year, believing in hiring the best getting people what they need, and getting out of the way. He is an author, speaker, and educational gamer.
Jun 09, 2018•8 min
The conflict with my colleague spun out of control because I was more focused on making my point than hearing what she had experienced. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @RACzyz @bamradionetwork Rich Czyz is author of The Four O’Clock Faculty: A ROGUE Guide to Revolutionizing Professional Development and Co-Founder of the Four O’Clock Faculty Blog. He is an Elementary Principal in New Jersey and is passionate about engaging all stakeholders in meaningful and relevant learning opportunities....
May 26, 2018•8 min
I may have profoundly changed a student's life, but not for the better. I believe I was overly punitive. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @Joshua__Stamper @bamradionetwork Joshua Stamper is an assistant principal at Renner Middle School in Plano, TX and I have been an administrator for 5 years and in education for 13. I am the host of the podcast, “Aspire: The leadership Development podcast” and contributor to the Passion Project blog.
May 19, 2018•9 min
I was so focused on trying to prove myself that I didn't see how I was impacting how my peers and administrators perceived my actions. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @stringer_andrea @bamradionetwork Andrea Stringer is a professional learning coach, who believes that an educator's professional learning should be personalised and empowering. Her active involvement on social media and the TeachMeet movement has provided her with the opportunity to connect with local and international professional...
May 12, 2018•9 min
I gave up doing what I loved to chase success on other people's terms. Finally, I realized that I needed to pursue what I am meant to do. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @robyn_mindsteps @bamradionetwork Robyn Jackson is the CEO of Mindsteps Inc. a professional development firm for k12 Educators. She's the author of 10 books and the host of the podcast School Leadership Reimagined.
Apr 28, 2018•9 min
I was a new teacher, a young teacher, and new to the school when I made a comment that changed everything. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @AndrewSharosAP @bamradionetwork Andrew Sharos is the Assitant Principal at West Leyden near Chicago. He is the author of All 4s and 5s, Amazon's #1 selling book in gifted education. The book outlines strategies for teaching and leading Advanced Placement and is told through student narratives.
Apr 21, 2018•10 min
We often talk about the importance of getting buy-in on school programs and projects. I didn't get that memo. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @derekrhodenizer @bamradionetwork Derek Rhodenizer, Academic Director of Westoboro Academy in Ottawa. Derek runs the "beyond the Staffroom" podcast on a variety of schows found on Voiced Radio. He is a specialist in exceptionalities, who sees exploration of technology as a means to both engage students and accomplish learning objectives....
Apr 17, 2018•10 min
I've been on the other side of teacher evaluations, but I found myself doing the very things I detested when I became an instructional technology coach. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @EdTechMason @bamradionetwork Mason Mason is an educator in Dallas, TX. He works as an Education Technology National Instructor at EdTechTeacher, and he is currently pursuing his doctorate in education at Southern Methodist University.
Apr 07, 2018•9 min
I discovered that unresolved issues can have, and explosive impact if left to fester. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @French@bamradionetwork Mark French is a 36-year educator with 21 years as an elementary school principal. He serves as past president of the Minnesota Elementary School Principals' Association and loves being connected to become a better principal.
Mar 31, 2018•10 min
Because I had prior experience with a parent I was sure that I understood her motivations. I learned an important lesson when I discovered I was wrong. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @DevonBeck365 @bamradionetwork Devon Beck is a hip hop artist, motivational speaker and a Family & Student Liaison at Sandy Hill Elementary. He has dedicated his life to helping others find purpose and follow their dreams.
Mar 25, 2018•9 min
My project failed to turn out as expected. I knew the proper way to respond but I failed to do what I knew I should do. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @EricEwald_Iowa @bamradionetwork Eric Ewald is Amy's husband; Ryne and Olivia’s Dad; a co-founder of the #DadsAsPrincipals movement. Lead learner and chief story teller at Van Allen Elementary a PreK through 6th grade school in North Liberty, Iowa; this is my sixth year as an elementary school principal.
Mar 17, 2018•10 min
I feel an unrelenting pressure to please people. The result is that I too often say yes to the requests I receive when I should simply say no. But I continue to struggle with this. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @AngelaMaiers @bamradionetwork Angela Maiers has been creating and leading change in education and enterprise for over 25 years. She is a keynote speaker for education conferences, corporate events and innovation summits and the author of six books, and the founder of Choose2Matter, a global mov...
Mar 10, 2018•10 min
I was at the end of my emotional rope. My student wasn't responding the way I wanted and I mentally wrote him off. Then I discovered something about him that I never expected. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @lmstump@bamradionetwork Lindsy Stumpenhorst is a 3-5 grade Principal in Sterling, Illinois at Washington Elementary School. She expects her staff and students to work hard, but never alone.
Mar 03, 2018•11 min
I was young, I was new to leadership and I was rigid. I demanded performance overnight without offering support and ran into a wall. Here's how I turned my leadership, my school and my career around. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @josuefalaise @bamradionetwork Over his 19 years in education, Dr. Josue Falaise has been a teacher, vice principal, principal and chief academic officer (CAO). He is currently the founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Gomo Educational Services, LLC, @gomoeds....
Feb 16, 2018•10 min
My student called me a racist. At least, that's what I heard. So I tossed him out of the class. As it turned out I was wrong. Now what? Follow: @jonHarper70bd @LaVonnaRoth @bamradionetwork LaVonna Roth is an internationally known learning specialist, author, keynote speaker and consultant. LaVonna taught at the elementary and secondary levels for 10 years, is the author of 8 books and is the creator and founder of the Ignite Your S.H.I.N.E.® movement-where every person is committed to finding, f...
Feb 09, 2018•11 min
I was a new principal with years of experience in the classroom and great ideas share. Why didn't all of my staff agree with me? Follow: @jonHarper70bd @jeff_zoul @bamradionetwork Dr. Jeff Zoul currently serves as Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning with Deerfield Public Schools in Illinois. He is the author of Improving Your School One week at a Time and several other books about education.
Feb 03, 2018•10 min
To this day, I still feel remorse about the way I handled one of my first leadership decisions. Later I learned, where I went wrong and how to avoid the mistake in the future. Winston Sakurai was recently recognized by the National Association of Secondary School Principals as a 2016 National Digital Principal of the Year and by the Hawaii Association of Secondary School Administrators as the 2016 Hawaii State Principal of the Year. Previously he served as Vice Chairperson of the Hawaii State Bo...
Jan 27, 2018•10 min
I threw desks and forgot about a student. If you are looking for a powerful example of learning and growing from reflecting on our biggest mistakes this is it. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @jeffreykubiak @bamradionetwork Jeffrey Kubiak is a #Kidsfirst Educational Disrupter, mindful leader, visionary, innovative thinker, water nut, problem solver, proud husband and father of two; he's been an educator for over 20 years, after having coached swimming to athletes of all levels. Having made about 16 trill...
Jan 20, 2018•10 min
Managing student behavior can be a challenge. So when I handled a difficult student problem, I was proud. Later I found that my pride was premature. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @ShannaPeeples @bamradionetwork Shanna Peeples is 2015 National Teacher of the Year, 2016 NEA Global Fellow, and 14-year English teacher in Title I middle and high schools. Currently Secondary English Language Arts Curriculum Specialist for the Amarillo Independent School District and a co-author of the book: Best Lesson Serie...
Jan 12, 2018•12 min
We lost the top leadership in my school and chaos ensued. Instead of stepping up and leading, I melted down. I was introduced to two ideas that turned me around. Follow: @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Will Parker is the Executive Director of Oklahoma's Association of Secondary Principals and Oklahoma's Middle Level Education Association. He is the former principal of Skiatook High School, near Tulsa, Oklahoma, and he was Oklahoma's Assistant Principal of the Year in 2012. He is also a blogger, ...
Jan 06, 2018•11 min
I imposed an expectation on my student that I would have realized was inappropriate had I not lost touch with my past. Follow @DenaSimmons @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Dena Simmons is an educator, activist, and lifelong learner from the Bronx, NY. She currently serves at the director of education at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.
Dec 22, 2017•11 min
I learned through the school of hard knocks that change starts with people first and processes second. Follow @impactfulcoach @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Naphtali Hoff, PsyD, is President of Impactful Coaching & Consulting and author of "Becoming the New Boss: The New Leader's Guide to Sustained Success". Naphtali became an executive coach and organizational consultant following a career as an educator and school administrator.
Dec 15, 2017•7 min
I was being evaluated by my supervisor who wanted "drill and kill." I knew better, but I didn't do better. I sold out my values and my kids. I learned how to quickly handle this conflict. Follow @DrMaryHoward @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Dr. Mary Howard is a leading expert in literacy, presenting seminars as an independent consultant and for the Bureau of Education and Research. She is an educator for more than 30 years, combining years of classroom experience as an elementary grade 1-6 speci...
Dec 09, 2017•11 min
My intentions were good but misguided. I was taking on more and more commitments while becoming increasingly less effective across the board. Follow @jonHarper70bd @bamradionetwork Rob Sahli is an administrator at Ramsey Middle School (6-8) in St. Paul, MN. He works very hard to build meaningful relationships with his scholars and to be a strong leader for the educators in the building. His strong passions lie in equity, servant, and instructional leadership. Rob is a proud, life-long learner....
Dec 01, 2017•13 min
Sometimes it's hard to recover with students when you get off on the wrong foot. It's even harder when you take that foot and put it in your mouth. Follow @jonHarper70bd @@cultofpedagogy @bamradionetwork Jennifer Gonzalez is editor-in-chief of the Cult of Pedagogy website, where she shares resources and inspiration to help teachers work happier and more effectively and the host of the podcast, Cult of Pedagogy. A National Board Certified Teacher and self-taught technology lover, she is the autho...
Nov 18, 2017•10 min
When I sent a blanket memo to my entire staff, I was actually just avoiding a painful discussion with one staff member. Then I learned... Follow @jonHarper70bd @unfoldthesoul @bamradionetwork Ken Williams is Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Unfold The Soul, a group which trains entrepreneurs, educators, and motivated individuals how to accelerate the achievement of their personal and professional goals. Ken’s background includes a BA from Morehouse College and he also holds a Masters degre...
Nov 11, 2017•11 min
I didn't like a students behavior in my classroom. Eventually, I called her out in front of the whole class. Later I learned.... Follow @jonHarper70bd @TrevorMuir @bamradionetwork Trevor Muir is a teacher, speaker, and author of the book, The Epic Classroom: How to Boost Engagement, Make Learning Memorable, and Transform Lives.
Nov 03, 2017•9 min
I hid my pain and didn't take time to grieve my loss. I thought I was doing the right thing until one day at school my suppressed emotions unexpectedly surfaced. I realized it was time... Follow @jonHarper70bd @stantonalana @bamradionetwork Alana Stanton is a kindergarten teacher at Mulberry Elementary in Gwinnett County, Georgia. She has taught 13 years teaching K-3 literacy special, first and second grades, and kindergarten. She currently writes a blog called More Than A Lesson where she share...
Oct 28, 2017•9 min
I was managing my classroom according to my master plan and was pleased with the model. Regretfully, my students felt differently, but I didn't find out until it was too late. Follow @jonHarper70bd @shareski @bamradionetwork Dean Shareski is the Community Manager for Discovery Education. He also teaches at Wilkes University. He has been actively pursuing the use and potential of technology for learning for the past decade.
Oct 23, 2017•7 min
